Ketel Marte
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Any hopes of the Yankees bolstering their infield with the star power of Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte were dashed on Monday.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Bronx Bombers are one of just five teams on the All-Star’s no-trade list, joining the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Athletics.
The Yankees had been linked to Marte in recent weeks, which was followed by a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan stating that they were taking trade calls on second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.
If they were doing so in hopes of upgrading with Marte, general manager Brian Cashman’s business looks awfully bad. Chisholm was one of the Yankees’ most productive bats last season behind Aaron Judge, hitting 31 home runs with 80 RBI and an .813 OPS. The 32-year-old Marte is coming off yet another stellar season in which he posted 28 home runs with an .893 OPS and is under contract through the 2031 season at an affordable rate (he’s due $16 million in 2026).
Chisholm, meanwhile, will be a free agent after the 2026 season.
Alas, any hope of adding Marte’s big bat is now out the window, and it might just force the Yankees to awkwardly hang on to Chisholm for the remainder of his contract as their starting second baseman, which should not even be a slight issue for an infield that has its fair share of question marks elsewhere. Trade-deadline acquisition Ryan McMahon plays a strong third base, but his offense has lagged. Shortstop Anthony Volpe will miss at least the first month of the season after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his shoulder. Ben Rice is also getting the nod to get the everyday job at first base.
For more on Ketel Marte and the Yankees, visit AMNY.com