Sep 17, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) reacts against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks Will Not Trade Ketel Marte

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Jack Sommers | Last updated Jan 9, 2026 12:01 PM ET

It's been a long offseason of speculation and rumor surrounding Ketel Marte and his future with the Diamondbacks. The team let it be known that Marte was available on the trade market, for the right price.

That price has reportedly been sky-high, however, and now that it's clear that price will not be met, the Diamondbacks are ready to move on, according to credible reports.

The Diamondbacks Will Not Be Trading Ketel Marte

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

As first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on X, and later confirmed by Steve Gilbert of MLB.COM, the Marte will remain with the Diamondbacks.

The 32-year-old Marte is under contract through 2030 on a very team-friendly deal of $91 million. Over $40 million of that is deferred until 10 years after it's due, reducing the Net Present Value of the deal even further.

It was always a long shot that the Diamondbacks would get an offer that would justify moving a player of his stature and accomplishment. While it's true he has battled soft tissue injuries in 2025 and in prior seasons as well, he's still been enormously productive and is the consensus top second baseman in all of MLB.

Last year Marte hit .283/.376/.517, .893 OPS with 28 homers, 87 runs scored and 72 RBI in 126 games. The year prior he hit .292 with 36 homers and 35 RBI. In 2023 he set the Postseason consecutive game hit streak at 20 while winning the NLCS MVP. He's a three time All-Star, including each of the last two seasons.

The question was always why the D-backs would trade such an outstanding player on a team-friendly contract. A midseason incident following the All-Star break in which Marte took several days off might have been a factor, but the team has denied that.

Marte will also gain full 10 and 5 rights this upcoming season, allowing him to veto any potential future trade.

But most likely, the team viewed trading Marte as a possible means to plug multiple roster holes. After missing the playoffs each of the last two years, the team desperately needed to both upgrade the rotation and bullpen, as well as round out the position player roster.

Getting multiple established major league players could have been a means to do that, but it was always questionable the D-backs would come out ahead.

At the same time ownership has indicated they would be cutting payroll from last year's $195 million opening day levels. They are already over $166 million following the signings of starting pitchers Merrill Kelly, Michael Soroka, and James McCann.

The D-backs have yet to address the bullpen at all, and still need at least one or two right-handed bats to platoon at first base and the outfield.

Stay tuned for further developments as the D-backs work to upgrade their roster for the 2026 season.