The Angels finally have a little oxygen around their future, but one Zach Neto trade could be the clearest sign that the whole thing is headed for a reset.
That’s the tension heading into the 2026-2027 MLB offseason. With Arte Moreno selling the team and John Mozeliak selling off a few controllable pieces at the trade deadline, there’s at least some optimism in Anaheim for the first time in a long while. But if a new general manager decides to move Neto, it may say a lot more about the direction of the franchise than just one deal.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand floated Neto as a possible trade candidate and framed him as the kind of player a new front office would target if it wanted to start over from scratch. As Feinsand wrote: "With three more years of arbitration eligibility remaining, Neto would be the Angels' most attractive trade chip if the new general manager - whoever that may be - wants to tear the roster down and start their own rebuild," Feinsand writes.
That kind of move would bring back a strong return, no question. Neto would draw interest because of his value and his years of control.
But the cost would be immediate. A trade like that would point to a full teardown, not a quick retool, and it would drag the Angels further away from being relevant in the next couple of seasons.
And that matters because this is already a thin roster. Mike Trout is nearing the end of his career, and the depth around him is bleak. The Angels have lived in the middle for too long, and if the goal is to get back above .500 sooner rather than later, Neto is the sort of player they need to keep in place, not ship out.
Move him, and the message becomes pretty blunt: the Angels are punting on the near future. That would make the 2027 season, and maybe a few after it, especially rough. It would also make it far less likely that Trout gets back to the playoffs with the Angels, unless he were traded somewhere else.
Trout has been linked to the Philadelphia Phillies plenty over the years, but there’s no indication he wants out. So if the Angels want to give him even a real shot at meaningful games again, Neto has to be part of that plan.
Sure, a new owner and a new general manager could decide the rebuild needs to be done their way. But if that path includes trading Neto and blowing the roster up, it would be a painful signal for Trout and a rough setup for the next few seasons in Anaheim.
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