Front-runner emerging to trade for Ketel Marte

Ketel Marte might potentially be headed back to the American League.

The Boston Red Sox have emerged as the front-runners to trade for the Arizona Diamondbacks star second baseman Marte, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported Tuesday during an MLB Network appearance. Feinsand characterized the Red Sox as the “No. 1 team in” on Marte right now.

Marte, 32, is a three-time MLB All-Star who has been with the Diamondbacks since 2017, making him their longest-tenured player. But Arizona sold heavy at the 2025 trade deadline, and Marte was also reported to have caused some issues within the clubhouse last season. As such, the talented switch-hitter has emerged as one of the top MLB trade candidates this offseason.

When it comes to the Red Sox, they won 89 games last season and earned a playoff berth but lost in the AL Wild Card series to the hated New York Yankees. Now it appears that Boston intends to be a major player on the market this offseason. They did already swing a big trade for a well-known pitcher a few weeks ago too.

At the same time, the Red Sox badly need to upgrade at second base as 23-year-old Kristian Campbell was a negative WAR player at the position in 2025 and David Hamilton was almost as bad as a .198 batter overall on the year. This is not the first time either that they have been linked to Marte, who hit .283 with 28 home runs and 72 RBI in 2025 and is also a strong defender.

We recently learned that Marte, who is signed through at least 2030, had a Red Sox rival on his no-trade list this offseason. That might really endear him to the Boston fanbase, especially if the Red Sox do end up swinging a move for Marte.