The Angels have a center-field problem, and the usual fixes don’t look especially clean.
Mike Trout’s time there is over, Jose Siri profiles more like a depth piece, and Nelson Rada’s uneven run in Salt Lake suggests the 21-year-old may not be ready for the majors just yet. Even the free-agent pool comes with warning labels.
Trent Grisham sits at the top of the market, but his offensive slide and defensive concerns make him a risky bet. Luis Robert Jr., now a free agent after the Baltimore Orioles declined his $20 million option, is coming off another season marred by injury and poor production.
That leaves the trade market, where the Angels might have a better shot at finding a younger, controllable answer. One team that fits the bill is the Arizona Diamondbacks, especially after general manager Mike Hazen made it clear the club is open to some movement.
“I think we need to look at some ways to shake the team up a little bit,” Hazen said at the close of October. “I think we’ve had this team together for a long time.
We’ve had some success, but we’re going to find ways to make some changes in some cases. I don’t know where that’s going to take us.”
That comment was mostly aimed at the situation involving star second baseman Ketel Marte, but Arizona has other spots where a reset could make sense. The Diamondbacks also have a logjam of young outfielders who haven’t fully established themselves yet, including 24-year-olds Jordan Lawlar, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Tommy Troy.
At the same time, Arizona has needs of its own: controllable starting pitching and a left-handed bat, ideally one that can handle first base.
That’s where Nolan Schanuel comes into the picture for the Angels. He’s entering his first year of arbitration and brings strong contact skills and excellent plate discipline, but the power production expected from a first baseman just hasn’t shown up.
Los Angeles also has Moises Ballesteros, who struggled in 2026 but still carries plenty of upside and more pop in his bat. Ballesteros is listed as a catcher, though his defense may eventually push him to first base full-time.
For the Diamondbacks, Schanuel would fill a real need. Their left-handed hitters finished last in the league with a .298 on-base percentage and 29th with a .219 batting average. Schanuel’s .276 average and .351 OBP would look a lot more appealing in that mix.
If Arizona is looking for a young player with more upside in return, Lawlar stands out as the most logical target. Waldschmidt and Troy have only just reached the majors, while Lawlar has already had several chances to stick and hasn’t quite held onto a job.
In 2026, Lawlar hit .258/.319/.460 over 44 games, but injuries kept interrupting his season. He dealt with a fractured wrist, a hamstring injury, and then was hit in the head with a pitch, which led to a concussion scare in late August.
Even so, Lawlar’s pedigree still carries weight. He was MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 overall prospect in 2025, and if he can stay healthy, there’s reason to think his major league struggles in 2023 and 2025 could fade behind him. He also has experience at shortstop, third base, and second base, giving the Angels another possible answer if center field gets solved elsewhere.
If Arizona wants more to part with him, Los Angeles could add Grayson Rodriguez to the deal. The right-hander has been limited by injuries, but the Diamondbacks need rotation help badly enough that they might be willing to gamble on his talent.
Both teams could use a jolt, and a swap of change-of-scenery candidates could make sense for each side. Before the Angels get there, though, they still need to hire a general manager and a manager and decide what kind of team they want to be.
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For now, though, this is just a scenario, not a confirmed front-office plan, and the questions around it are bigger than one name on a rumor board. Netos contract situation and the Angels roster needs both factor into whether anything like this ever gains traction, and the debate says as much about the teams long-term direction as it does about the shortstop himself. [Read more 🡒]