Phillies' Zach Neto Trade Rumors More Dangerous Than You Think

Over the summer, the Philadelphia Phillies were loosely linked to Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto before the MLB trade deadline, but it became rather obvious that the Angels had no intention of moving him.

Fast forward to now, and you will almost certainly here the Phillies connected to Neto once again. In fact, we kind of already have.

Los Angeles is a terrible team, and it might have some interest in trading Neto in order to replenish a farm system that isn't exactly elite.

But should Philadelphia aggressively pursue the young slugger?

There is definitely a lot to like about Neto. He's just 25 years old, he hit 27 home runs this season, he has good speed and he's under club control through 2029.

But there are also some major caveats.

Neto's defensive capabilities differ depending on who you ask. In fact, he is probably one of the most difficult defenders to judge.

In terms of defensive runs saved, he is brilliant. He posted a plus-9 DRS in 2026, and last year, he was a plus-13. But he has been a minus-8 in outs above average the past two seasons, and his fielding run value was at a minus-4 both years.

Defensive runs saved is generally the more reliable metric for infielders, but even Angels fans tend to be split on Neto from the eye test.

Then there's the fact that Neto's strikeout rate rose to 30.5 percent in 2026. On the flip side, his walk rate rose from 6.0 percent to 9.9 percent as well, offsetting some of his punchouts. But that is still an ugly number, especially for a guy with a sub-.800 OPS.

Finally, LA's asking price for Neto will likely be exorbitant, and it would almost certainly force the Phillies to part with at least one of Gage Wood or Aidan Miller.

At this point, Miller's value is down after missing almost all of this past season due to a back injury so perhaps Philadelphia would be alright with moving him. But Wood is a different story entirely.

Is Neto really the player for whom you want to trade Wood? Or would you prefer to go for a much bigger fish? Or, crazy thought ... how about not trading Wood at all?

Wood has the chance to be special, so the Phillies should be awfully careful about floating him in trade talks.

The problem for Philadelphia is that its farm system is incredibly thin, so it doesn't have much to offer outside of Wood and Miller.

I like Neto. He's young, he's club-controlled and he still has room to improve. But I'm also not sure he's good enough for the Phillies to mortgage their future, or to acquire too hastily.