Diamondbacks Expected To Field Interest On Ketel Marte

The Diamondbacks’ biggest offseason question is whether they’ll line up a Ketel Marte trade. Arizona fielded interest in the star second baseman early last offseason, though it seemed mostly a matter of due diligence as they explored ways to add controllable starting pitching.

There’s a good chance the team will more aggressively shop Marte this offseason — albeit with various reasons why it may be more difficult to actually make a deal. Most notably, Marte can veto any trade after securing 10-and-5 rights (10 years of service time, the last five with one club) in April.

Reports from both John Gambadoro/Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports and Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic indicate that the Snakes will explore Marte trades yet again. Piecoro writes that they’ve received preliminary interest from other clubs, though it’s obviously very early in the process with the trade market just reopening this morning.

Marte features prominently on MLBTR’s list of the game’s top offseason trade candidates, slotting in at #6. That’s driven in large part by comments from team officials who’ve become increasingly frustrated with Marte no-showing for certain games over the years.

Owner Ken Kendrick said in early October he hoped the star infielder would “overcome his consistent acts of immaturity.” Manager Torey Lovullo said he’d no longer be as protective of Marte as he’d been in years past, adding “at a certain point, I have to allow them (players) to advocate for themselves.” General manager Mike Hazen wasn’t as blunt publicly but suggested the front office may need to reshuffle part of their core after narrowly missing the playoffs for a third straight season.

The GM took a similar stance when speaking with Piecoro on Thursday. Asked whether they’d field offers on Marte, Hazen told The Arizona Republic, “I think we need to look at some ways to shake the team up a little bit. I think we’ve had this team together for a long time. We’ve had some success, but we’re going to find ways to make some changes in some cases. I don’t know where that’s going to take us.”

[Related: Ketel Marte’s Trade Candidacy]

It’s a tricky balancing act for the front office. It’s not ideal to sell low on a player who has shown the ability to be an impact talent. Marte was arguably the best second baseman in the league between 2021-25, combining for a .279/.360/.498 batting line and finishing third in MVP voting in 2023. Reports emerged late in ’25 that Marte had frustrated teammates by traveling back to the Dominican Republic and missing their first series coming out of that year’s All-Star Break. That played a part in the front office gauging interest last winter.

The situation took another turn for the worse when Marte no-showed for a game in Fenway Park this past August. He was reportedly frustrated with a left knee issue that hampered his performance. Marte didn’t initially report for treatment or inform the team he wasn’t showing up for the game. They placed him on the restricted list, then transferred him to the injured list a few days later.

Marte missed two weeks. He subsequently apologized and played the final month of the season, but it clearly represented a short-term distraction. Arizona narrowly missed the playoffs, losing out to Philadelphia for the third Wild Card spot on the season’s final day. It’s possible that would have been the case either way, of course, but the near miss only adds to the “what-if” questions around the entire saga.

Even when he was healthy enough to play, Marte didn’t play up to his typical level. He hit 22 home runs with a league average .249/.316/.432 slash line across 624 plate appearances. The switch-hitter destroyed lefty pitching (.307/.359/.571) but had a bizarrely poor year against righties (.230/.301/.386).

Some of that may be due to the knee discomfort. There’s probably also some poor luck at play, as his .245 average on balls in play against righties was way down from his .291 career mark. Marte still hit the ball hard and rarely struck out. He should be better than his 2026 numbers suggest, even if his days as an MVP finalist might be behind him at age 33.

Teams will need to weigh the on-field performance and the clubhouse fit against the contract. He’s signed for another five years at a total of $87.5MM. His salary for next season is only $12MM, half of which will be deferred. That’s a bargain, but it’ll jump to $20MM in 2028 and $22MM annually for the two seasons after that. Marte can opt out of an $11.5MM salary for the ’31 campaign.

That all presupposes that he’s willing to go anywhere given his full no-trade protection. Even if he embraces a change of scenery, it’s possible his camp could seek some kind of contractual kicker as a condition of waiving the 10-and-5 rights. (Marte’s contract itself only includes a five team no-trade list, so that full no-trade protection would not carry over to a new team if he approves a move out of Arizona.)

The D-Backs also don’t have a ready made replacement at second base. Prospect Demetrio Crisantes didn’t hit for much power after a midseason promotion to Triple-A Reno, which is a supercharged offensive environment. He should open next season in the minors. Jordan Lawlar moved to the outfield last year after struggling defensively. The Snakes may not want to move him back on the dirt, and Lawlar has had a very difficult time staying healthy throughout his MLB career. Tim Tawa and Jose Fernandez project more as utility players than everyday second basemen.

Arizona is already one or two bats short. They need to upgrade first base and/or designated hitter and are broadly seeking to add more punch against right-handed pitching. They also need at least one starter with Michael Soroka hitting free agency and to replace half their bullpen. It’s a lot to address in one offseason, especially with ownership forecasting a cut to their payroll now that Zac Gallen and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are off the books.