For the second straight winter, the Arizona Diamondbacks' offseason runs through second base. This time Ketel Marte holds more of the leverage.
General managers gathered in Las Vegas on Monday for the league's annual meetings, an early window for trade talks before the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. MLB Trade Rumors listed Marte among the most prominent players on the trade market, and the outlet reported that the Diamondbacks have all but acknowledged they will hear offers for the three-time All-Star.
Why the conversation is back
Arizona went through a version of this a year ago. General manager Mike Hazen acknowledged hearing offers for Marte last offseason and kept him when no club met his asking price, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert wrote.
What changed came in August. Marte did not report to Fenway Park for a game in Boston and landed on the restricted list, then the injured list, according to MLB.com, which noted it was not his first unexcused absence.
He later sat down with Hazen and Torey Lovullo, the manager, and apologized to his teammates, and everyone agreed to put the episode behind them, MLB.com reported.
Hazen has since framed the winter in broader terms. "I think we need to look at some ways to shake the team up a little bit," he said, as quoted by MLB.com. "We've had some success, but we're going to find ways to make some changes in some cases. I don't know where that's going to take us."
What Marte controls
The biggest difference from last winter is contractual. Marte gained 10-and-5 rights in April, meaning 10 years of major league service with the last five on one club, and that lets him veto any trade. Arizona can no longer shop him to the highest bidder without his approval.
His contract is also part of the pitch. MLB.com put the remaining money at $89.25 million over five seasons, while MLB Trade Rumors listed $87.5 million covering his age-33 through age-37 seasons. Both outlets describe a modest near-term number: MLB Trade Rumors reported a $12 million salary for 2027, with $3 million of it deferred.
