The reports of Ketel Marte asking for inconveniently timed days off — and irking his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates by doing so — have led to a separate discussion about why it went public.
But what might matter most to the baseball product is how the D-backs clubhouse and Marte himself have responded to the adversity.
To Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall, there is something positive coming from the noise after Marte was late to rejoin his team from the MLB All-Star break — and because there was a month delay before the reasoning saw the public light.
“I think we had already put it behind us, which is strange, so then we had to revisit it when it came back up and reared its head again three, four weeks later,” Hall told Bickley & Marotta on Thursday. “But I’m actually glad it did come up again because I think then Ketel realized the severity of the impact on his teammates. And he did come out publicly and apologize. I think that did a lot of good. I do believe it’s behind us.”
Hall said he thinks the situation gave Marte a new “level of awareness.”
It’s been nearly a week since reports of Marte’s reputation were published.
The news cycle included his manager and clubhouse leader Geraldo Perdomo defending him. Then came a public apology.
D-backs general manager Mike Hazen gave a passionate defense Wednesday when he joined Wolf & Luke on Arizona Sports, pointing out that clubhouses across MLB remain imperfect and, of course, it’s always a challenge to manage player personalities. Hazen also made it clear that Marte’s status as one of the best players on the team matters when navigating decision-making as GM — his job centers on putting together winning baseball teams.
Marte is an important part of that, with the fifth-highest OPS (.941) in baseball.
The life of the story has been extended perhaps longer than it needed to be. Hall sees everything settled internally and some positive things coming from a mess.
“I can state the facts about Ketel Marte,” Hall said. “He’s one of the best players in baseball. … He’s had a really tough year. … And deep down, he’s a really sweet young man. He really is. He’s a really good guy and a good teammate.”
