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Ketel Marte has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason. It may be now or never for a trade.
Arizona Diamondbacks’ superstar second baseman Ketel Marte has had his name come up in many conversations in recent days.
While being the subject of trade rumors all offseason, offers for Marte have been quickly gaining steam in the last week, in large part due to the winter meetings. With numerous holes in the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff, General Manager Mike Hazen has a challenge in front of him.
Do the Diamondbacks wait for the right offer for Marte and stand pat, or do they trade him for pitching help now?
Jack Sommers of Sports Illustrated explains this dilemma.
“Left unsaid by Hazen is the reality that Marte will achieve 10 and 5 rights 10 days into the MLB season,” Sommers wrote. “That means he will have full right of refusal to any trade. So that does reduce some of the Diamondbacks’ leverage. It’s now or never if the team wants to trade him unencumbered.”
This means that a trade would have to be completed in the next few months before the 2026 season starts in order for Marte to realistically leave Arizona.
Marte currently has five years, $91 million left on his current contract with Arizona, with much of it backloaded, making a trade even harder for the Diamondbacks.
What Offer Has Arizona Received Recently?
While Marte has been linked to the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays, the projected pieces coming back to Arizona are not enticing to Hazen thus far.
According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Rays have had deep talks regarding Marte.
“According to league sources, the Diamondbacks and Rays discussed a deal that would involve both right-handers Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot, though no agreement is said to be close,” Piecoro wrote. “Conversations with another club, according to a source, involved a more high-profile starting pitcher as the starting point of a deal, with other pieces expected to be added.”
Baz had a 4.87 ERA in 2025 and has struggled with injuries throughout his career, with just 286 innings pitched since his debut in 2021.
Pepiot had a career-high 3.86 ERA, albeit in a career-high 167.2 innings, but has struggled with walks in the past, as well as surrendering the long ball.
Sommers’ Analysis
If only these pitchers are offered in the deal, no matter what Arizona’s need for starting pitching is, Sommers believes it just isn’t worth it for the Diamondbacks to trade Marte.
“Pepiot and Baz are pitchers, and thus inherently prone to injury,” Sommers wrote. “Baz has already had Tommy John Surgery. Neither pitcher has shown a true breakout to become an above-average player. The Diamondbacks are not going to get back the best player in the deal if they trade Marte. If they trade him, they are looking to fill multiple holes. The Tampa Bay proposal is not enough to make up for all the factors listed above.”
The Diamondbacks must acquire proven, controllable pitching, according to Sommers, if they want more from opposing teams for Marte.
And that could mean trading him either before the season or not at all.
Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
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