The Atlanta Braves will be in a familiar place this offseason with a need at the shortstop position again. Ha-Seong Kim hasn't looked good at all this season, but Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo have been great pickups. It's possible that Dubon or Mateo could return to Atlanta next season, but it isn't a guarantee. Atlanta will need to weigh all of their options to fill that position going forward.
The Braves have a few budding prospects who could eventually take over at shortstop. However, development can take time before they're ready for the big leagues. That could lead the front office to look to trading for a long-term solution until they are ready.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto could be that stopgap option for the Braves. Neto isn't having the most impressive season in 2026, but he has shown some flashes of his talent.
Braves could try to trade for Angels shortstop Zach Neto as a stopgap option
There's plenty of reason to think the Angels could part ways with Neto for the right price. They are dead last in the AL West, and recently called up top prospect Denzer Guzman. Guzman is a shortstop and has lots of potential. This could make Neto expendable.
Neto hasn't been very flashy at the plate this year with a .231/.338/.450 slash line over 64 games. He has 58 hits, with 14 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 32 RBI, and a .788 OPS. The main reason for his low average is his high strikeout rate. He has a problem with whiff and chase as well.
However, Neto does have some excellent numbers with his walk (11.9), barrel (12.3), and launch angle sweet spot (36.2) percentages. He ranks in the top percentiles among all MLB players in those categories. The barrel and launch angle metrics show why he has hit 13 homers so far this season.
Neto has 35 walks to his AL-leading 89 strikeouts. If Neto could improve his ability to hit breaking and offspeed pitches, those numbers would improve. He hits fastballs well with a .285 average against them in 2026. He has a .069 average against offspeed pitches and a .212 average against breaking balls.
Defensively, Neto has a great arm, but his range is really bad. His OAA this season sits at -10, which is one of the worst in baseball. That's not something the Braves would love to see. However, they could help improve that over time or consider moving him to second base.
As far as the contract goes, Neto is making $4.15 million this season and is arbitration eligible for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 seasons. That's a great amount of control for the Braves, and could be what drives up the price a bit. The front office would have to decide if he's worth it to potentially block prospects like Alex Lodise, Tate Southisene, and John Gil from promotions in the next couple of seasons. However, they could easily be players included in a potential deal.
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