Why the Boston Red Sox Need To Trade for Zach Neto

This time last month, the thought of the Boston Red Sox adding something at the deadline felt like a distant dream.

Fifteen wins in a row, an ascension from bottom team in the American League to top five, changes the scope. The Red Sox are not only dark horse candidates to make the postseason, they’re in sole possession of the final spot in the race.

From 11 games under to four, and counting, over, the Red Sox are now buyers. Not only that, they’re buyers with a glaring need within the lineup still.

Enter Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto. The 25-year-old isn’t having the same type of impact he had in 2026 from a quality of contact standpoint. However, there’s a lot to like about his profile as a hitter. The strikeouts are a little much, running a rate north of 30% this season, but the power is as good as ever. Through 100 games, he’s got 21 doubles and 19 homers.

He’s also seen a major spike in walk rate while running 2.0 fWAR entering play on July 22.

Acquiring him isn’t a foregone conclusion for anybody.

The Angels, despite having a fairly bleak organizational outlook, haven’t made the postseason since 2014. Not only that, outfielder Mike Trout isn’t getting any younger. Moving an established contributor like Neto isn’t an easy sell to the fans, nor the standing players of the Angels organization.

But with recent reporting from the Athletic that the Red Sox, “view Neto as a strong fit” it is clear this is a player they may pursue aggressively at the deadline.

Shortstop is an Area of Weakness

Despite Tsung-Che Cheng’s admirable performance in a short burst, the Red Sox aren’t getting much production out of shortstop. Even having won 15 games in a row, they’ve done so largely in spite of their offense out of short.

Overall, the Red Sox entered Game 2 of the double-header Wednesday 27th in fWAR out of shortstop. The gap between them and the top 15 is the same as them and last, but there’s nothing to write home about with 0.5 fWAR.

They’ve got an established contributor nearing a rehab assignment, Trevor Story, but he wasn’t exactly playing well on either side before going down with a sports hernia. Additionally, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Marcelo Mayer have been cleared for “dry swings,” but there’s no timetable for their return.

*On Injured List

Neto not only bests Kiner-Falefa by one full win, but he’s got more homers than the entire Red Sox slate of qualified shortstops combined. He’s not a great defensive shortstop, but he’s far better than what they have offensively. While the Red Sox are a team predicated on run prevention, they’ve got to find steadier offense if they hope to turn a Cinderella run into a memorable 2026 campaign.

Stability on Offense

The Red Sox have made tremendous strides since the late April firings of several coaches. Unfortunately, they’re still a bottom-10 offensive club.

Entering Game 2 of the double-header Wednesday, they’re 24th in wRC+ at 94, tied for 22nd in runs, and 29th in home runs. Not having the likes of outfielder Roman Anthony or the aforementioned Story play a part, but there’s no guarantee of their return, or production should they come back.

Adding Neto isn’t exactly solving all of their issues. As it stands, the Red Sox are middle-of-the-pack in strikeouts. Adding Neto likely drops them into the bottom third. However, they need the stable power source in the heart of the order. Getting said power production out of an infielder would be icing on the cake.

As it stands, the Red Sox have one player with 19 or more home runs, first baseman Willson Contreras. Outfielder Wilyer Abreu seems well on his way to joining him, but there aren’t many feared power threats in Boston.

Only three Red Sox have at least 300 plate appearances with the team and a wRC+ of 110 or better; Neto would give them four. Should they get Anthony back, there’s five legitimate offensive threats to work around in the lineup.

Where Does He Fit in the Order?

Neto is closer to center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s profile as a hitter, despite having more power. Putting him in the top third of the order might be challenging, especially with Rafaela also there, but it could work in Anthony’s absence.

Again, the strikeouts are an issue for Neto, but getting his power at many at-bats as possible increases likelihood for damage. Hitting him behind Rafaela and Abreu increases RBI chances for the 25-year-old. Not only that, having Contreras behind him creates more opportunities for him to see strikes.

His chase rate is also a problem, so maybe pitchers see if he’s willing to swing himself into an out. But it increases the importance of not making a mistake, especially in run-scoring situations, because Neto has the power to turn a mistake into a three-run home run.

Long-Term Fit

Neto isn’t a very range-y shortstop. Defensive runs saved loves him, but outs above average do not. This year, he’s already on pace to crush his career-low in outs above average.

Barring drastic improvement, which is certainly possible, he’s not long for the position. He’s a good athlete with a strong arm, but he’s likely not a long-term shortstop. With Durbin playing third base at a high level, and his bat coming around, it’s hard to see a pathway for him to even stay on the left side of the infield.

That leaves second base. The Red Sox have Mayer, but there’s been reports of frustration with him as a player. Fair or not, that’s reality and a position held by at least one member of the Red Sox front office.

But the Red Sox have top prospect Franklin Arias, who’s added power this year in addition to having a strong hit tool and defensive makeup. He appears positioned to be the shortstop of the future. So fitting Neto in appears like second base or bust.

The Offer

Red Sox Get: SS Zach Neto
Angels Get: IF Marcelo Mayer, LHP Connelly Early, RHP Marcus Phillips, 2B Yoeilin Cespedes

To move Neto, the Angels need to be blown away. Getting Mayer, despite mixed results as a big-leaguer, gives them another young shortstop with top-100 pedigree.

However, the prize here is the left-hander Early. One thing Boston has an abundance of is young left-handed starting pitchers. Early has perhaps the most polished repertoire of the bunch, giving him an extremely high floor. He lacks the ceiling of teammate Payton Tolle, but there’s seemingly no chance the Red Sox would trade him.

With Jake Bennett’s breakout, there’s an increasing expandability of a young arm in Boston. Early eats up innings, has an array of out pitches, and generally fairly strong command of the zone. With the Angels positioned to trade potentially two starters this summer, getting a capable big-leaguer helps offset some of those losses.

Phillips was a competitive balance selection last year for the Red Sox, and has great strikeout stuff. His command is a bit hit-or-miss, but he’s got potential to be an effective big-leaguer. Perhaps it’s as a reliever, but an organization can never have too many effective arms.

Cespedes is more of a dartboard throw, but he’s another prospect with fringe top-100 pedigree. Had it not been for injuries hindering performance last year, he might very well have opened 2026 in the top 100. This year, he’s seen a massive uptick in power with 16 home runs. However, his strikeouts have also climbed while his walks dipped.

He’s a guy with a lot of talent as a middle infielder. The Angels would just need to give him time to develop. While they’re not exactly full of precedent being patient with prospects, he’s someone who could be worth the wait.