Diamondbacks News
Report: D-backs’ Andrew Saalfrank out for season after shoulder surgery by Tyler Drake [Arizona Sports]
‘I want to be here’: After offseason of uncertainty, Marte happy to still be with D-backs by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]
“It’s baseball, I understand the business side of it and how it works,” Marte said. “There were a few comments out there on social media that I wasn’t happy with, but I love the D-backs and I want to be here.”
Hazen said over the winter that he didn’t talk to Marte about the rumors because he didn’t think anything would come to fruition, but he made it a point to sit down with Marte face-to-face once he announced he would no longer listen to offers for him.
“We talked a lot and hashed some things out, talked it all through and everything is great,” Marte said. “Mike knows I love the D-backs, I love my teammates. Everyone knows what type of player I am, and I’m just happy it all worked out and I’m here.”
Diamondbacks’ Asking Price for Ketel Marte Revealed in Red Sox Trade Talks by Michael McDermott [Heavy]
“According to multiple league sources, the Sox were open to dealing a package headlined by Franklin Arias and either Payton Tolle or Connelly Early in exchange for Marte,” wrote Speier. “However, when Arizona sought a package led by Marcelo Mayer and one of the pitchers, the Sox declined.”
Ketel Marte Opens Up on Offseason Trade Rumors by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Hazen told Gilbert he apologized to Marte for the process — not for exploring trade options, but for how widespread and public they became.
“[Trade rumors are] not an easy thing for a player to constantly read,” Hazen said. “I apologized for that part of it, and look, Ketel was great about it. I feel like the conversation with him was good and we’ll continue to have an open dialogue as we always do.
“He’s out here working his butt off already. We’ll continue to demonstrate to him that we appreciate him and did not want to trade him. He’s a superstar in the game and I think he’s gonna have another great year for us.”
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Around the League
Red Sox acquire Caleb Durbin in 6-player trade with Brewers by Jeff Passan [ESPN]
The Red Sox acquired third baseman Caleb Durbin from Milwaukee in a six-player trade Monday that sent left-hander Kyle Harrison back to the Brewers, ending Boston’s winter-long search for a right-handed-hitting infielder on the eve of spring training opening.
Boston also acquired infielder Andruw Monasterio, utility man Anthony Seigler and a competitive balance round B draft pick (67th overall) while sending infielder David Hamilton and left-hander Shane Drohan to Milwaukee.
Durbin, 25, finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting last year after winning Milwaukee’s third-base job in the wake of a trade from the New York Yankees, who had sent him to the Brewers in the Devin Williams trade. With a surfeit of young infielders, Milwaukee lined up with the pitching-abundant Red Sox as they sought to fill their third-base hole vacated by free agent Alex Bregmansigning with the Chicago Cubs.
‘Fun-loving’ Murakami laughs off nameplate snafu by Scott Merkin [MLB]
What a difference one letter can make.
When Munetaka Murakami first arrived at Camelback Ranch on Sunday morning, the nameplate above his home White Sox clubhouse locker read “Munetaki Murakami.”
It unofficially goes down as the first error of Spring Training.
Murakami posted the mistake on his Instagram stories at ys_munetaka55, with a “thinking” emoji followed by a “laughing” emoji.
One More Ride for Paul Goldschmidt by Ben Clemens [FanGraphs]
On Friday afternoon, the Yankees and Paul Goldschmidt agreed to a one-year deal worth $4 million, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported. Friday in the early evening, I began contemplating how I’d like my career to end. These are related incidents.
Three years ago, Goldschmidt stood at the pinnacle of the game. He’d just won NL MVP on the back of a spectacular all-around offensive season, carrying the Cardinals to the playoffs in a rousing capper to his long, decorated career. It was his eighth straight season receiving MVP votes, and brought his career WAR total to 52. Have you ever considered retiring at the top of your game? With two years left on his contract, Goldschmidt must have given the idea some thought. Finish those two out well, get a bit more hardware, and ride off into the sunset toward Cooperstown.
Phillies Looking To Move Nick Castellanos This Week by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]
Phillies position players are scheduled for their first official workout next Monday. It’d make for an awkward situation if Nick Castellanos is still on the team. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported at the end of last season that the Phils would trade or release the outfielder. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has all but confirmed as much on the record, pointing to the need for a change of scenery.
Keeping Castellanos on the 40-man roster into Spring Training would be a needless distraction. It comes as little surprise that the Phils are motivated to get something done within the next week. “We’re doing everything we can to make a move by (Monday),” Dombrowski told reporters (link via Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “I’ll leave it at that right now.”