For teams still looking to add this winter, there is no shortage of valuable players on the market, such as several of the top free agents from this year’s class are still available. But one player not on this list who has a similar impact as free agents is Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. How Arizona Finds a Solution to the Possibility of Trading Marte one of the biggest questions yet to be answered as we reach the halfway point of the offseason.
It’s no secret that Arizona has fielded calls from its All-Star second baseman. D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said that while the team is still unlikely to move Marte, they were willing to listen to offers. And any team looking for a true superstar-level offensive player should blow Hazen’s phone.
In recent years, it’s been easy to forget how good Marte is. But we’re not talking about a fringe star on a bad team. We’re talking about a perennial MVP candidate. Marte, who debuted with Seattle in 2015, has been one of baseball’s most consistent players over the better part of the last decade. He has recorded at least 25 home runs, 135 hits, 85 runs, 70 RBIs and 60 walks each over the past three seasons.
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In 2025, Marte hit .283 with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs in 128 games for the D-backs, making his third NL All-Star Game appearance. In 2024, he finished third in NL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. In 2023, he recorded 157 hits and 71 walks and helped the Diamondbacks to the World Series.
In short, Marte is a top 10 player in MLB, and his production backs it up. But what makes Arizona’s longest-tenured player so valuable in a potential trade is production combined with one of the most team-friendly contracts in baseball. In 2026, Marte enters the second year of a six-year, $116.5 million extension signed in April.
It’s not often that a player of Marte’s caliber is available, and it’s even rarer when such a player makes less than $23 million per year over the life of his contract, which creates tremendous value for Arizona in a potential trade.
Ketel Marte is an MVP-caliber player on a team-friendly contract, meaning he could bring some money to Arizona in a trade.
(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)
Now, many baseball fans might ask: why would the Diamondbacks want to trade an MVP-caliber player such as Marte? That’s a good question. And the reality is that Arizona should be blown away by an offer to move the 32-year-old; the combination of his talent and contract value gives Arizona the edge.
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But like many baseball playoff hopefuls, the D-backs are in serious need of a young, controllable starting pitcher. With Arizona boasting an offensive surplus, Marte gives them a trade piece that could bring back the frontcourt pitchers and then some in a deal.
The other reason moving Marte now might make sense for Arizona is that he will receive full “10 and 5” rights (10 years of MLB service, five years with the same team) in April. After this deadline, he can veto any trade proposals, which will significantly reduce the influence of the D-backs in trade negotiations.
Although it is not guaranteed that Marte will change teams this winter, it could be argued that he would be the second best player available in this year’s free agent class if it was on the market. In an imperfect class with many position players who fit a limited number of teams, in terms of roster construction, Marte is the type of hitter who would fit well in the middle of any lineup.
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The Boston Red Sox have been the most linked to Marte thus far. But the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays are also a good fit on paper, and the reality is Marte would improve the roster of any contending team. It remains to be seen whether the Diamondbacks will actually move him, but Marte is the type of player who can change a team’s position within its division, push a rebuilding team into its competitive window, or take a playoff team to the top.
Looking back on this offseason, Marte may be the most influential player to join a new team before Opening Day in 2026.
