With the Tampa Bay trading Shane Baz and Brandon Lowe recently, the team has been stockpiling prospect capital in a potential effort to acquire a big-name talent, with one player being linked is Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte. As rumors have swirled around the Rays and Marte, the latest batch of reporting suggests a potential pursuit could happen.
One of the areas that Arizona has reportedly wanted in a possible return for Marte is pitching, either MLB-ready or prospects, which Tampa Bay got in the deals for Baz and Lowe. With the Rays already having a substantial farm system, plus acquiring six prospects in the recent deals, it gives them the avenue for a huge trade, as MLB.com mentions Marte.
“The Rays already had a pretty good farm system — No. 10 in MLB Pipeline’s midseason rankings — before acquiring six prospects in these two deals. That could give them the resources to complete another big trade this offseason. One notable option is a deal involving D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte,” MLB.com wrote.
The Rays and Diamondbacks had talks about Ketel Marte in the past
© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
While the Rays are getting busy this offseason with the aforementioned trades, one could assume it’s all in an effort to build up the capital to make a go for Marte. However, it seemingly won’t be the first time, as apparently, Arizona and Tampa Bay had been in talks for Marte in the past.
“Parting with Lowe, the longest-tenured Rays player, leaves Tampa Bay with a massive void at the keystone spot,” the website continued. “And the Rays are one of the many teams that have been reportedly involved in trade discussions regarding the three-time All-Star. Earlier this month, the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro reported (subscription required) that the Rays and D-backs discussed a deal that included Baz and fellow starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot going to Arizona for Marte.”
The Rays are looking to improve after finishing 77-85, which put them fourth in the AL East, as obtaining Marte would give them a jolt of energy after hitting a .283 batting average with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs.