Feinsand: Angels willing to discuss Zach Neto

Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak said in a team statement that Soriano won’t pitch this weekend due to the uncertainty of the next 48 hours leading up to Monday’s trade deadline. That doesn’t mean that a trade is imminent, but the club doesn’t want to take any chances. The 27-year-old righty has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors recently and it appears that Los Angeles will consider moving him for the right price. He’s in the midst of the strongest season of his career with a solid 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 127/57 K/BB ratio across 123 innings over 22 starts.

Detmers surrendered a solo homer to Yordan Alvarez in the first inning. Christian Walker later added a solo shot in the fourth. Detmers went one more inning for the Angels, giving up just the two runs through five while collecting nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 4.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 145/38 K/BB ratio across 125 innings. Barring a trade, he’s lined up to face the Orioles in Baltimore next Tuesday.

Expressing an interest and being willing to meet the likely high asking prices are two separate things, but it’s interesting to note that the Rays are looking to be aggressive, especially when it comes to pitching. According to Murray, any additional starter the Rays bring in wouldn’t necessarily mean Griffin Jax or Ian Seymour are out of the rotation. Instead, the Rays are looking for pitching depth to help offset innings and injury concerns surrounding Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen. The team could decide to use a six man rotation or occasionally skip starts in order to keep those guys healthy for the playoffs. Considering Peralta is a free agent at the end of the season, he would be the most likely target of the trio.

Detmers is going to be a popular name in trade conversations leading up to next week’s trade deadline with the Angels nearly a dozen games out of a playoff spot. Both Chicago franchises could use an injection of life in their starting rotations for the final two months and have the intriguing prospects necessary to facilitate a deal. The 27-year-old southpaw limited the Cardinals to one run over 5 1/3 innings last Wednesday and will face the Astros in his next start on Tuesday. He’s been on a roll lately, allowing just one run with a 13/2 K/BB ratio across 11 1/3 innings since the All-Star break.

Soriano gave up three hits, walked three and struck out five. The run came in the fifth after a miscue on what should have been an inning-ending double play. Soriano has rebounded nicely with a 2.74 ERA in four starts this month. He’s due to make his next start at home against Milwaukee.

Detmers deserved a better fate after limiting the Cardinals to just a solo homer by rookie JJ Wetherholt, which wound up being the difference in a low-scoring affair. He finished with six strikeouts and issued two walks. The 27-year-old southpaw has delivered back-to-back strong performances, allowing just one run with a 13/2 K/BB ratio across 11 1/3 innings since the All-Star break. He’ll square off against the Astros at home in his next outing on Tuesday.

That may not seem like a lot, but Passan notes that it’s a major change from previous trade deadlines. Neto is under team control for three more seasons, so trading him could net the Angels a haul of prospects to help expedite a rebuild and fill out a depleted organization with young talent. A few teams, including the Red Sox, Braves and Yankees, have already reached out to the Angels.

Although he was hit fairly hard — nine of the 17 balls in play against him topped 101 mph — Soriano struck out seven in his longest and probably best outing since May 10 against the Blue Jays. Since that game, he’d had a 5.24 ERA and a 54/33 K/BB in 56 2/3 innings over 11 outings. Soriano will likely make his next start Sunday against the Giants. There’s a chance that could be his last with the Angels, though Reid Detmers remains the better bet to be traded.

Detmers spent last year in the bullpen but has enjoyed a solid return to the rotation, posting a 4.16 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 130/35 K/BB ratio in 114 2/3 innings. There are still some consistency issues, and being able to work with the pitching development program in another organization would probably benefit him. Jose Soriano also started the year on fire, allowing one earned run in his first six starts. In 14 starts since, he has a 5.15 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 72/40 K/BB ratio in 73 1/3 innings.

Neto led off the game with a single on an 0-2 pitch from Troy Melton. He then scampered home on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Josh Lowe, which wound up being the lone tally for either team until the ninth inning. Neto was also thrown out trying to steal in the ballgame. With his two-hit attack, the 25-year-old shortstop is now hitting .237/.328/.453 with 19 homers, 45 RBI and 12 stolen bases (in 21 attempts) on the season.