Could Red Sox swing blockbuster deal for slugging SS?
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The Angels are reportedly open to trade proposals for slugging shortstop Zach Neto as the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches, and one club that has apparently been interested in acquiring Neto for some time and could use an upgrade up the middle is the Red Sox.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required), Boston sees Neto as “a strong fit” as it heads toward the Deadline on the heels of a surge that has vaulted it into the thick of the American League Wild Card race. With a historic 15-game win streak that came to an end on Wednesday, the Red Sox currently hold the third AL Wild Card spot.
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Acquiring Neto, whom Rosenthal and Sammon report was a trade target of Boston’s this past offseason, would certainly make sense for the Red Sox on paper.
With shortstop Trevor Story currently on the injured list due to a sports hernia and not expected back in the lineup until mid-August at the earliest, not to mention his ability to shift to second base should the club add a shortstop before then, bringing Neto aboard would be a major upgrade to the current platoon of Tsung-Che Cheng (.600 OPS over 44 plate appearances this season) and Andruw Monasterio (.741 OPS in 180 plate appearances).
The 25-year-old Neto ranks fifth in bWAR (13.4) among players who have played at least 50% of their games at shortstop since the beginning of the 2024 campaign. His 19 homers this season rank third at the position behind CJ Abrams and Colson Montgomery, who have 24 each.
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Neto has accrued just over two years of Major League service time, so it would presumably take a substantial offer for the Halos to seriously consider trading him after a pair of seasons in which he belted more than 20 home runs and produced an OPS in the high .700s. He would come with three seasons of club control beyond this year if he is dealt.
The Red Sox entered the season with a middling farm system, according to MLB Pipeline, primarily as a result of graduating several top prospects. One of them -- infielder Marcelo Mayer, the fourth overall selection of the 2021 Draft -- was mentioned in the Athletic report as a potential trade piece in a Neto deal.