Dbacks' GM provides update on Ketel Marte trade talks, expects decision 'shortly'
A Silver Slugger award winner in each of the past two seasons, Marte is signed through the 2030 season.
Whether All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte will be a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks come Opening Day 2026 or starting for another club is a resolution that general manager Mike Hazen hopes to have “shortly.”
“We’re very likely to put an end to this shortly,” Hazen told MLB.com on Tuesday.
Should the Diamondbacks retain the 32-year-old, he will achieve full no-trade protection on the 10th day of the season when he attains 10-and-5 rights, having accrued 10 years of service time, five consecutive with the same club. At that point, Marte will have the right to veto any trade that is proposed.
Currently, Marte has a limited five-team no-trade list that includes the Athletics, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this month.
Hazen did not commit one way or the other when it comes to Marte’s future, only asserting that a decision would be reached. An exact timeframe for when that decision will be made was similarly not disclosed.
“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Hazen said. “But this isn’t going to continue to linger. We need to focus our offseason. Again, my gut this whole time was that [a trade of Marte] wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do.”
Signed through 2030 with a player option for 2031, Marte’s contract is particularly enviable for rival clubs due to its deferrals and low AAV. He is owed $102.5 million over the next six seasons, including $41 million in deferrals that do not get paid out until 10 years after the money is earned. Factoring in those deferrals, his AAV is $14.6 million.
Should the Diamondbacks part with Marte, it would likely be for pitching.
Although multiple clubs have engaged with Arizona, Hazen indicated that talks haven’t reached “anywhere near” what the Diamondbacks are looking for in a package.
The switch-hitter is coming off back-to-back All-Star and Silver Slugger award seasons, finishing third and second, respectively, in National League MVP ballots over that stretch. Among second baseman in 2025, no one had a higher wRC+ than Marte’s 145, and only one player, Nico Hoerner, finished with more fWAR (4.8) than Marte’s 4.6 in only 126 games played.
Since his first All-Star campaign in 2019, Marte has slashed .289/.363/.510, with a 134 wRC+ that ranks in the top 10 of all NL players during that same span.