The Atlanta Braves are staring at a 2026 trade deadline shopping list that includes the outfield, shortstop and the starting rotation. The first two spots could be easier to solve than the last one, and that’s where a new name has entered the conversation.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan linked the Braves to Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto, a 25-year-old who comes with a 30% chance of being traded. Atlanta was listed among six teams that fit the profile for Neto, along with Boston, Toronto, Minnesota, Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees.
“Chance of being traded: 30%... The Angels are at the very least listening, which is more than they've done at past deadlines,” Passan and McDaniel write. “Best fits: Boston, Atlanta, Toronto, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, New York Yankees.”
That doesn’t exactly scream imminent deal, but it does suggest the door is open more than it has been in the past. For a Braves team that could use help at shortstop, Neto stands out as the kind of target worth monitoring closely.
His 2026 season has been productive: 2.5 bWAR in 98 games, with 19 home runs, 13 stolen bases, a .235 batting average, a .768 OPS and a 117 OPS+. The strikeout total is hefty - 138, which puts him on pace to lead the AL - but the overall package still makes him one of the more appealing names on the market.
Neto is also under club control through the 2029 season and has not yet reached arbitration, which keeps him affordable on the roster side. The flip side is that he would cost plenty in trade talks.
For Atlanta, that’s the tradeoff. Neto would bring in a young shortstop who could anchor the position for years, but the Braves would have to outbid a crowded field to get him.
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Mozeliak has already suggested the most significant moves could wait until the offseason, and that makes the next few weeks feel more like a test of the market than a full teardown. One name to watch is shortstop Zach Neto, who has drawn attention as a valuable trade piece, but there is still plenty of uncertainty about whether the Angels will actually part with him or keep him as part of whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
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Both teams came away believing the scout acted on his own, which is a big reason the Angels are not facing league punishment. Still, the episode left the organization doing damage control with Colorado, and then-general manager Perry Minasian apologized to the Rockies front office as the club worked to put the matter behind it. [Read more 🡒]