Given their positional needs and the fact that Nico Hoerner is a West Coast player, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the Los Angeles Angels had targeted the Chicago Cubs’ second baseman once he reached free agency next offseason.
While the Angels haven’t been known as big spenders recently, Hoerner’s contract would have fit within their budget—though that’s now moot since he signed a six-year extension with the Cubs.
Even so, Hoerner’s deal may serve as a useful blueprint for the Angels in planning a long-term contract for Zach Neto.
Hoerner’s current extension reportedly falls in the range of Ketel Marte’s contract with the Diamondbacks and Jose Altuve’s deal with the Astros, far below the $175 million Marcus Semien received but around $120 million.
Neto, a shortstop, isn’t an exact comparison—he offers more power potential than Hoerner has shown—yet the Cubs’ approach provides a model the Angels could follow.
The key takeaway from Hoerner’s extension is the strategy: lock in a team-friendly deal during the arbitration years, creating a smoother path to a long-term agreement before free agency.
Hoerner’s three-year, $35 million extension, which bought out his remaining arbitration years, illustrates this approach.
For Neto, who earned $4.5 million in his first arbitration year, the Angels could similarly buy out his remaining arbitration years to gain cost certainty and potentially save money.
While the plan would require front-office savvy—and it’s unclear if the Angels’ current roster and structure make it feasible—acting quickly could secure their most important player under favorable terms for the future.
