Who Should the Angels Extend Right Now? Predictions & Analysis
April 30, 2026 - Written by Zac Holladay
WHAT A PLAY BY ZACH NETO 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4bgv2a825A
— SleeperAngels (@SleeperAngels) April 21, 2026
The 2026 Angels include a great young core built up of potential and crazy amounts of talent. Most of them have been up in the Major Leagues now for at least 3 years and us fans have gained a good idea of what they are capable of doing for a full season. There are several good candidates for an extension and some that need some more time to prove themselves. While the team isn’t in the greatest state for contention, the least the front office can do is to lock up a few of its great young players. It is best to at least know that the Angels have some talent for the next few years, especially as Mike Trout enters the back-end of his career. But one thing is for certain: the Angels can’t and won’t extend them all. Unless general manager Perry Minasian can sign them for cheap, it will be the decision of who is worth keeping around and whether their value is in their price range. Here is the list of the young Angels and my predictions and takes on their possible extensions with the team.
Do these players deserve a contract extension?
Zach Neto- Yes
Expected Contract Value: 8 yrs, $176 mil ($22 mil AAV)
One of the most talented shortstops in the American League and in the game in general, Zach Neto has made a name for himself in Anaheim. His speed/power combo is one of the more valuable assets that the Angels possess and is one of the better leadoff hitters in the league. Although his defense is questionable to start his career, he is very reliable for the most part and has incredible instincts. Neto has already proved that he deserves to stay with the team for long-term as finding a reliable, everyday shortstop with power is not something that comes your way often. He is averaging over 20 home runs, over 75 runs batted in, and over 25 stolen bases a year. Neto is still improving and adjusting to the Major Leagues as he already has 20 walks within the first month of the season (Neto walked only 33 times in 128 games in 2025 and only 39 in 155 games in 2024). There is no doubt Neto deserved an extension and should be the first out of this group to be extended.
Nolan Schanuel- No
Expected Contract Value: 5 yrs, $57.5 mil ($11.5 mil AAV)
Nolan Schanuel has been the definition of solid for the Angels in his tenure. His real value is for his ability to make contact and to get on base without striking out much. Even at that, there is still a lot Schanuel has to work on as those tools haven’t fully developed just yet. For a first baseman, he does walk more than league average, but only has 10 walks in 2026 so far. His ability to spray the ball to all fields is one of the better guys in the league. But Schanuel struggles to maintain a solid batting average for someone with bat-to-ball makeup. His power tool has been talked up the last few seasons but it hasn’t exactly blossomed. Schanuel’s Baseball Savant page doesn’t highlight many strong suits so far in 2026 except for his ability to limit the strikeouts. Nolan is a fan favorite and, no doubt, a glue guy with a strong glove at first. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Angels extend him due to the fact that Schanuel would be a cheap get. I just don’t believe that he is the first baseman for the future.
Jo Adell- Yes
Expected Contract Value: 9 yrs, $216 mil ($24 mil AAV)
After a breakout in 2025, Jo Adell looks to be a real power threat to the league in 2026 and beyond. After a cold first few months, Adell slugged 11 home runs in June of last season to put a stamp on his name for the rest of the season. Although his other tools are still in the works, like hitting, fielding and plate discipline, Adell’s ability to drive in runs is something that the Angels value and can see getting better with time. There are teams that have expressed interest towards Adell’s talents last season and over the offseason. While the team could get a decent haul back for him, the Angels ultimately made the decision to keep him when they traded Taylor Ward to the Orioles for RHP Grayson Rodriguez over the offseason. The Angels should be willing to put their full stock in Jo Adell as his talents can only get better due to his raw talent for the game. He may be the most expensive of all the Angels position players not under a contract already, but he will definitely be worth it.
Logan O’Hoppe- No
Expected Contract Value: 4 yrs, $40 mil ($10 mil AAV)
O’Hoppe’s career started off to an impressive start, but has taken a complete dive within the last year. His tendency to swing at almost every pitch, regardless of where it is thrown, has grown to be a large burden on O’Hoppe’s approach at the plate. Logan is entering his 3rd full season and is unfortunately regressing. The Angels expect him to turn it around and become who the Angels and the Phillies (the team who drafted him) hoped he would be. He is a hitting-first catcher who hasn’t hit for much power since May of 2025, including 6 homers in the 95 games since. There isn’t a doubt that his talent exists and that he will get to that 30 homer season, which he is completely capable of. It is just a matter of how long the Angels are willing to experiment with him to get his bat going. The Angels coaching staff can work with him on his defense, which is below average, but that won’t unlock his full potential. In the fullest season of Logan O’Hoppe in 2024, we only saw him provide a .244 batting average with 20 home runs and 56 RBI’s. Ask any Angels fan and they will tell you that 2024 was just the tip of the iceberg from Logan, but maybe that was his peak? He is only 26 with a lot of years ahead of him. It just doesn’t seem like he will unlock his talents in Angel red.
José Soriano- Yes
Expected Contract Value: 6 yrs, $150 mil ($25 mil AAV)
The Angels ace has finally been born… or has he? José Soriano has had a fantastic start to the season for the Angels with only giving up 4 runs in 7 games pitched. His stuff has evolved into one of the best pitch arsenals in the league, but can he keep this run up? Obviously every pitcher has his bad game and Soriano is due to fall back a bit, but this is what the Angels have expected from him for years now. Yes, he has only had 1 fantastic month. That’s why the Angels should soak all they can from Soriano’s time with the Angels and make the decision to extend him in his contract year. Like most Angels’ homegrown players, it takes a while for their prospects to marinate in the Major Leagues before their full potential is reached. The opportunity for the Halos to have a great starting pitcher handed to you doesn't ever come, so if I’m Perry Minasian, I make this deal happen. Even if he doesn’t perform as a Cy Young pitcher like the media has made him out to be within the past few weeks, he’s still a pitcher that can give you a solid start every 5 days and stay healthy.
Reid Detmers- Yes
Expected Contract Value: 5 yrs, 95 mil ($19 mil AAV)
One of the bigger rollercoaster career paths lately out of the Angels farm system. The Angels organization refuses to give up on Reid Detmers and there's a good reason to keep him around. He has the makings of a front-line starter but just hasn’t found any consistency with his mechanics. While it didn’t help in some places to move him to the bullpen, it did help Detmers regain his confidence in his pitches. There isn’t much of a downside to Detmers as his hype has gone down over the years and his value can only rise from here. His 2026 display hasn’t been consistent either as he has given up 3 or more runs in 4 out of his 6 starts so far. I wouldn’t believe that many other teams would take a flyer on his services and Angels have room to continue the Detmers experiment. He would be a very inexpensive talent and would be a decent presence for either the rotation or the bullpen for years to come.
To put this analysis into perspective, the value of pitchers has wildly increased over the years as the most basic of starters are getting paid $20 million a year easily. A quality starter that can eat up innings and stay healthy is a heavy asset to any of the 30 teams. And for a team that desperately needs pitching, it is worth it to house decent pitching. Most of the Angels young core is worth keeping around, but at the same time, the Angels aren’t afraid to spend on position players. It isn’t likely, but it isn’t likely for the Angels to extend multiple players either. The whole future of the Angels organization is completely uncertain as no one knows what will happen next. But it is only a matter of time before at least one of these guys gets paid what they deserve.
Disclaimer : (1) Links of players are property of MLB, MiLB, and Baseball Reference. (2) InsideHalos is a fan-made site not affiliated with Angels Baseball.
