Mail bags this week are stuck in potential expansion Zach NetoWho can provide it Juan Soto– Similar to package Paul SkynisKen Rosenthal’s recent article on Nationals, potential outfielders and rescuers, free agents who are about to help and hurt stocks, and more.
RJ asked:
What is the extension of Zach Neto?
Neto, 24, is the first player to enter the professional position in the 2022 draft class. As a 2023 rookie, Neto missed a month due to tilting pressure and later missed a back injury. He didn’t play too much like a rookie, but as a shortstop, every 150 games is still worth about 2 wars.
Neto avoided IL in the 2024 season breakout and attacked around May, releasing 122 WRC+ since then. He recorded 1,300 innings in shortstop, worth 3.5 Wars. His baseball card statistics are also strong, with 23 home runs and 30 steals.
Statcast’s outs above average means Neto is a sub-par defender in terms of range, indicating he is not outstanding in lateral sports. The more DRS overall, the more you think Neto is positive (we discussed OAA and DRS last week). I didn’t get his defense to be considered a responsibility, which probably wouldn’t limit his ability to make money.
Neto made her debut on April 18 after undergoing a shoulder surgery in November. Since then, he has released 141 WRC+ in 152 sets, ranking 32nd in the Grand Slam and fifth in shortstop. He struggles for 5.8 wars every 150 games, which will make him the top five shortstops in baseball. In a small sample of 2025, Neto traded the link to get him close to 40 bombs throughout the season. Neto went from No Red on his Statcast page to a massive amount this year last year, with the expected percentage of losses actually higher than the .542 mark he already exceeded. The second phase of the breakthrough seems to be real.
The Angels are hard to accuse of service time manipulation, and they were promoted to Neto less than nine months after they signed him into the draft. However, for now, he entered the season with a one-year and 170-day Major League Baseball service, two days away from the full two years. This means that Neto will conduct arbitration four times starting the 2026 season, thus gaining free agents after 2029.
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