Rival Seattle Mariners lost starter Zach Neto to surgery and could miss some

The Los Angeles Angels have been incredibly active in the early days of the MLB offseason. They first traded for outfielder Jorge Soler and then traded for former prospect Scott Kingery. They also signed longtime Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks to a one-year contract.

However, the offseason took a negative turn on Friday when it was announced that starter Zach Neto could miss the start of the season due to shoulder surgery.

Per Rhett Bollinger on social networks:

SS Zach Neto had shoulder surgery Wednesday and there is a possibility he could miss the start of the season, general manager Perry Minassian said. It’s the shoulder he injured on the descent to Chicago late in the season.

It’s never a good idea to worry about an injury and we wish Neto the best of luck in his recovery. However, it is a well-known fact that anything that makes the Angels worse is inherently good for the Seattle Mariners.

Neto hit .249 last season with 23 homers and 30 stolen bases. His OPS+ was 113, making him an above-average player among M’s opponents.

The Mariners handled him well in 2024, when he hit just .194 against Seattle. He had just two home runs and five RBIs against the M’s in 13 games.

The Mariners went 5-8 against the Angels this year, which was the main reason they missed the playoffs by 1.0 games for the second year in a row.

Sailors went 85-77 overall and finished second in the American League West.

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