The Los Angeles Angels should've been an easy opponent for the Boston Red Sox, who are firmly in a playoff position as the end of the season approaches. Zach Neto, LA's slugging shortstop, made the final two games of the series, both losses for Boston, especially tough.
Neto clocked six hits, two of them home runs, and five RBI en route to an Angels series win at Fenway Park. He dominated on September 8, in particular, with a four hit day including a homer and a double.
The 25-year-old has been swinging it well since the All-Star break (.262/.319/.424 slash line in 47 games) and he made sure the Red Sox felt it. Neto was many times linked to Boston before the trade deadline and he'd surely like to be competing for a postseason spot this September, but the Red Sox weren't interested because of LA's insane asking price. Despite Neto's turnaround, the Sox should have no regrets.
On trade deadline day, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reported that the Angels demanded top shortstop prospect Franklin Arias, the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball per MLB Pipeline, plus more for Neto (subscription required). It was never reported which other prospects LA wanted in the deal, but trading Arias was rightly a nonstarter for Boston.
There's no doubt that Neto would fit the Red Sox's need for home run power. The righty has hit 29 doubles and 25 home runs, which would rank third and second on the team, respectively. His performance on September 8-9 proved his bat is as good a fit at Fenway Park as the Red Sox expected it would be, as his 30.2 pull AIR percentage ranks near the top of the league.
Despite Zach Neto's success at Fenway Park, Red Sox were right not to trade Franklin Arias for him
But Neto just isn't worth Arias, plain and simple. The Angels asked for a well-rounded, nearly MLB-ready top prospect plus more for a player with multiple holes in his game. Neto isn't a good defender, Arias is exceptional. Neto has struck out at a 30.5 clip this season while Arias comes in at 14.7 — there's a world of difference between Triple-A and major league pitching, but Arias' ability to put the ball in play is undeniable.
The Red Sox's contending window is open for at least the next few seasons. It makes no sense to trade someone who can hit for contact and power for someone who only does one of those things. It makes no sense to trade a defensive savant for a defensive liability on a defense-forward team. It makes no sense to trade Arias' years of control for Neto's shorter contract when Arias is the more well-rounded player who's more likely to stick at his premier position.
It's understandable that Angels fans really wanted Arias before the deadline — he's a top-10 prospect in baseball, which Neto never was, and he has the skillset to be a capable big leaguer for a long time. But Neto isn't worth Arias plus multiple other prospects when the latter player is so close to the major leagues and still showing so much improvement. Had LA had a more reasonable asking price, maybe it could've worked out a deal with Boston, but a big part of the trade deadline is being unreasonable.
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