Boston Red Sox
“Predictably, the Angels set a very high bar when it came to the return and the two teams were unable to match up.”
The Red Sox seemingly solidified their infield on Monday, acquiring 3B/2B Caleb Durbin as part of a six-player trade with the Brewers.
With Durbin — who finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2025 — likely slotting over to third base, the Red Sox could keep Marcelo Mayer at second. Trevor Story (shortstop) and Willson Contreras (first base) round out the infield.
But, the Red Sox reportedly left no stone unturned this offseason in hopes of adding talent to their lineup via trade.
After being linked to Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte throughout the winter, the Red Sox were reportedly also interested in prying Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto from the West Coast for the right price, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
“With Marte off the market, the Red Sox, according to an industry source, took several tries at obtaining Zach Neto from the Los Angeles Angels,” McAdam wrote on Monday. “Neto, 25, is a plus defender with more pop — a combined 49 homers the last two years — and would have been a significant addition.
“A natural shortstop, Neto could have moved to either second or third for the time being until Trevor Story’s deal was up. But predictably, the Angels set a very high bar when it came to the return and the two teams were unable to match up.”
Neto has been one of the more underrated players in baseball over the last few seasons, posting two-straight 20-20 seasons with Los Angeles. Behind his profile as a strong infield glove with 20-30-homer power, Neto is under team control through the end of the 2029 season.
The case could be made that the price to acquire Neto might be similar to the likely haul it would have taken to trade for Marte. Marte is an established All-Star talent and arguably the best second baseman in the game, but Neto is seven years younger, on a cheaper contract with years of control, and might have more room to grow.
Rather than potentially deal away blue-chip prospects like Mayer, Franklin Arias, Payton Tolle, or big-league regulars like Jarren Duran for Neto, the Red Sox instead opted to acquire a versatile player with good bat-to-ball skills in Durbin.
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