The Los Angeles Angels have tried to put a contending team on the field for each of the past few seasons, but they’ve failed to do so.
At this point, it’s a realistic time to begin looking at what life could look like when Mike Trout is gone from baseball. The Angels need to be focused on securing their young talent for years to come.
Just Baseball’s Shaan Donohue predicted the Angels would sign star shortstop Zach Neto to a massive six-year, $100 million deal during his arbitration years.
“Zach Neto represents a different class of pre-arb extension candidate: an ascending bat at a premium position whose offensive growth is beginning to outpace his defensive profile,” Donohue wrote. “Neto’s 2025 season (3.1 fWAR in 128 games) was driven by a meaningful jump in exit velocities while maintaining excellent launch angles — a combination that materially improved his slugging profile. Even if his long-term home ends up being third base rather than shortstop, the bat is increasingly likely to carry the profile.”
Neto has a lot of traits that make him such a unique talent. He’s one of the better defensive infielders in the league, which is an attribute that never seems to slump.
But Neto’s bat came around in a big way last year as he posted a career high .793 OPS with 26 home runs and 29 RBIs. Neto’s posted 5.1 WAR in each of the last two seasons. With each passing year, Neto’s value is going to increase, so the sooner the Angels can find an extension with him, the better.
More MLB: Mets Predicted To Acquire 20-Year-Old Catcher After Huge Season