The Angels’ offseason picture keeps getting murkier, and now Nolan Schanuel has joined Zach Neto as a possible trade name if the club decides to go in a different direction.
MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger pointed to both young infielders as players who could be moved, even though each is firmly planted in the everyday lineup right now.
“The Angels have Zach Neto entrenched at shortstop and Nolan Schanuel at first base, but either could be a trade candidate if they decide to rebuild,” Bollinger wrote.
That possibility comes as the Angels try to sort through a major organizational reset after a 100-loss 2026 season. Arte Moreno has agreed to sell the team to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment for a reported $4 billion, and the club is not expected to hire a new general manager or manager until that sale is approved. Interim GM John Mozeliak is also scheduled to leave when his contract expires in December.
Neto has already been one of the most talked-about Angels players on the trade market. The Boston Red Sox reportedly showed strong interest in the 25-year-old shortstop before the trade deadline, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi recently said the Angels should at least test the waters.
“This is the time to gauge interest in Zach Neto and Reid Detmers,” Morosi said on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove.” “It’s not about winning a World Series in 2027.”
There’s a clear reason rival clubs would line up. Neto put together a big 2026 season, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 77 runs in 157 games, and he still has three years of team control left.
Schanuel doesn’t carry the same headline-grabbing profile, but he’s coming off a useful season of his own. The 24-year-old hit .276 with seven home runs, 49 RBIs and a .736 OPS in 107 games. Since debuting just weeks after being drafted in 2023, the former first-round pick has held down first base for the Angels.
Any sweeping change likely has to wait until the ownership situation is settled. But if the new regime chooses to rebuild, Neto and Schanuel could both become names to watch.
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