The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte is one of the best offensive second basemen in baseball but his name has been at the center of trade discussions since the end of the 2025 season.
Jeff Passan of ESPN provided an update on efforts to move the veteran.
“The Diamondbacks aren’t clamoring to move him. They also know that with five very affordable years under contract, Marte is among the most valuable players in baseball, thanks to his combination of productivity and cost,” he wrote.
That friendly contract, combined with the D’backs desire to beef up their rotation, has led to the trade chatter surrounding Marte.
Olney noted, “The Diamondbacks told interested teams in July that they wouldn’t trade Marte, but their posture now is very different; they have to improve their rotation, and the quickest way to do that would be to swap Marte.”
The 32-year-old hit 28 home runs, drove in 72, and had the eighth-best OPS in baseball with .893. His 4.4 WAR was third-best on the team.
The deciding factor in whether Marte returns to Arizona for the 2026 season will ultimately be whether interested teams have a starting pitcher that appeals to the Diamondbacks enough to necessitate the trade.
If not, he may enter the season as a potential deadline trade chip for Arizona, thus keeping his name in rumors and speculation.