The Arizona Diamondbacks are seemingly looking to trade their star infielder Ketel Marte in the coming months if they can net a star pitcher in return.
There are plenty of suitors for Marte, but only a handful of them would have a pitcher worth trading him for.
Just Baseball’s Jakob Oliver urged the Diamondbacks to trade Marte to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for their ace, Hunter Greene, before the offseason ends.
“The Reds have an acute need for a power bat and instant offense. They’ve been connected to Marte for much of the offseason,” Oliver wrote Tuesday. “Plus, they have a controllable ace on a cheaper contract for the next four years that they could make the centerpiece of a trade offer.
“While Greene does have some warts, namely durability, as he’s yet to have a fully healthy season, he would instantly become Arizona’s ace and their best pitcher by far. His 99.5 mph average fastball velocity does portend concern for a potential future elbow injury, but when he’s on, he’s unhittable. That’s why he has an ERA of 2.76 over his last two years and 258 innings.”
The Reds need to add a slugger like Marte, so on the surface, the idea makes sense. But Greene is seemingly more valuable than Marte, so unless the Reds are receiving more than just Marte in the return, the idea wouldn’t make sense.
However, Greene is the perfect pitcher for the Diamondbacks to target. It’s a bit of a long shot, but he’s one of the better pitchers in the league, and he’s only getting better.
The Diamondbacks could also target Andrew Abbott or Nick Lodolo in a trade with the Reds.
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