The stove is red hot when it comes to the Boston Red Sox. As the winter meetings are underway, the groundwork is hopefully being laid. One of the bigger stories coming out of the meetings so far is that the Red Sox have entered the Ketel Marte trade sweepstakes. They join a lengthy list that features the Mariners, Tigers, Rays, Blue Jays, and Pirates. Not only is Marte a fit for all of these teams, but for the Red Sox would check off all of the boxes.
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When the winter began, the consensus was the Red Sox have to bring Alex Bregman back into the fold. His veteran presence and leadership is valuable to what is a young Red Sox team. With that being said, there is the realm of possibility that Bregman does walk away. The idea when adding a bat was Bregman AND another bat. If Bregman does walk you now need two bats.
This Red Sox team lost a lot of its home run ability when they traded Rafael Devers. After the trade they dropped to 23rd in home runs. Everyone keeps banging the drum on getting one of the top premiere power bats in Kyle Schwarber or Pete Alonso. However, the Red Sox simply need a bat that can simply get on base, put the ball in play, and be a player that opposing teams have to game plan around. That’s exactly what Marte does and brings to the table.
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Everyone looks at the Diamondbacks the last two seasons and wonder what has gone wrong. Truthfully, it hasn’t been the pitching, as the offense has been a top ten offense in the sport. Marte has been a key piece to that offensive puzzle and a reason that team has been so successful offensively.
Marte has been the definition of consistency, hitting at least 20+ home runs in each of the last three seasons. His previous career high was 32 (2019) and he followed that up with a career high of 36 (2024). Over the last three seasons, Marte has been a top ten player in baseball. Here’s where he ranks in offensive categories:
AVG: .283 (17th)
OBP: .368 (13th)
SLG: .519 (8th)
OPS: .887 (9th)
wRC+: 140 (9th)
As you can see, Marte is a weapon offensively. He makes hard contact, has good pull ability, and the best part is he doesn’t strikeout a lot. That’s a major blessing to this Red Sox offense. Marte checks all the boxes for this Red Sox offense and his ability to play second base effectively makes this option much sweeter.
Given the caliber of the player in question, it is going to cost a heavy package. What would the Red Sox have to potentially part with in order to land the star second baseman? Let’s discuss.
For everyone among “why would the Diamondbacks part with Marte?”, the answer lies within his contract. Despite it being newly signed, if the Diamondbacks don’t trade him before mid April, the clause in his deal becomes a full no-trade clause. That becomes a headache for the front office and at that rate the player can dictate where he wants to go. The contract is also a bargain compared to what will be handed out for the high impact players, as he will make $16 million in 2026.
Between the contract and the caliber of player it’ll cost a lot. We now know that the Diamondbacks had interest in pitcher Connelly Early in a swap for Merrill Kelly. Fortunately, the Red Sox did not do that, as the upside with Early is superior to what Kelly would’ve given you at that point. Although, they could circle back around that as they are searching for pricking, but if they are going to part with Marte they’ll want a player to fill his role too.
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Jordan Lawlar should have every opportunity to hold down the hot corner. Blaze Alexander emerged as the Swiss-Army knife for the club, excelling in the outfield, second base, and even other infield positions. If they want to fill that with a younger talent, Marcelo Mayer could be in play.
Mayer is a short stop, but also held down third base when Bregman went down with his quad injury. He finished as a plus defender at both third base and second base for the Red Sox in 2025. That gives the Diamondbacks plenty of options. It will take alot more than that, but given they want a pitcher for a pitcher this deadline, an infielder for an infielder makes plenty of sense.
Roman Anthony is the face of the franchise and has super star potential written all over him. However, the Red Sox need to build a formidable offense around him and adding a high octane bat like Marte makes a ton of sense. Everyone does harp on the power, but the Red Sox need batters that make contact, get on base, and produce and that’s what Marte does. It was always Bregman+, and who says that second bat or in this case a primary bat can’t come via trade?
Now we wait and see and let Breslow cook.
Red Sox prospect Dorian Soto raises his stock with impressive 2025 campaign
Over the last few years, the Red Sox farm system has seen its stock skyrocket. That has been due to excellent drafting and development, especially on the pitching side. With the start of the 2026 campaign just months away, the system is still filled with various talented prospects, including Dorian Soto.