Yankees should be terrified of offseason trade rumor Red Sox were involved in

Like the rest of the AL East — except for the New York Yankees — the Boston Red Sox have been aggressive in turning over their roster in hopes of improving their odds of taking home the division crown in 2026.

One can argue that the choices they've made haven't improved the roster a whole lot, as the losses they've suffered may simply cancel out the gains. But it appeared as if they had one more big splash up their sleeve after Alex Bregman bolted for greener pastures.

Ultimately, they didn't, unless you count Caleb Durbin as an impact move. That doesn't mean that Boston didn't try, though, with Sox insider Sean McAdam reporting that they tried several times to acquire Los Angeles Angels star shortstop Zach Neto. The thought of that should terrify the Yankees.

The Red Sox tried to pull off a trade for Zach Neto, who should be a Yankees target

At only 25 years old, Neto has already turned heads and is entering the 2026 season ranked as one of the top-10 shortstops in the game. The arrow is pointing way up on his stock, as he's only likely to get better from here on out.

Despite missing a good chunk of the first month of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, and then the last couple of weeks of the 2025 campaign with a hand injury, Neto finished the year with 26 homers and 26 steals, making him a legitimate 30-30 threat if he stays healthy.

The interesting thing is whether the Red Sox would have kept him at shortstop, where he's a poor defender, or moved him to second base. Either way, in conjunction with an aging Trevor Story, a potential deal would have given Boston very weak defense in the middle infield.

The truly scary part of this revelation was that Neto hadn't been mentioned in Red Sox trade rumors at all. Boston had been connected to various infielders, ranging from Ketel Marte to Brendan Donovan, as well as Chicago Cubs star Nico Hoerner and up-and-coming youngster Matt Shaw.

One thing you can say about the Red Sox under Craig Breslow is that they have a tendency to move in silence. There was no smoke connecting them to Ranger Suarez until the signing was announced, and the Durbin trade also came out of nowhere.

At the end of the day, the Yankees are lucky that the Angels set such a prohibitive price for Neto. Los Angeles is in a weird spot, with their general manager, Perry Minasian, on the hot seat as his contract expires at the end of the season, and new manager Kurt Suzuki signing just a one-year deal.

They're trying to contend this year, which is misguided given the talent deficiencies on their roster, but given the status of Minasian and Suzuki, the mercurial tendencies of owner Arte Moreno, and their recent failings which include losing Shohei Ohtani after the 2023 season and posting a franchise-worst 99 losses in 2024, they're unlikely to hit the reset button by trading Neto ... for now.

This report doesn't mean the threat is gone completely, though. If something were to change in LA, like a major injury to a key piece in spring training, they could end up reassessing their situation and possibly revisit the deal. There's also a chance that Minasian doesn't make it through the season if things don't go well, and a new GM could want his shot to build fresh.

From Boston's point of view, they could go back to the well and dangle multiple prospects from their deep farm system if they find that the roster they've assembled isn't up to snuff. Neto would be a game-changer for them, and if the price comes down a tad, they could re-engage.

For now, the Yankees dodged a bullet, but how long that lasts is a question mark.