MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi tweeted earlier today via his X account that, “The Red Sox are viewed as stronger candidates to land Ketel Marte than their AL East rival Blue Jays, because Boston has greater depth of MLB-ready starting pitchers.” This comes after the Blue Jays were also reported as “one of the teams” interested in trading for D-backs superstar second baseman Ketel Marte, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman also noted at the start of the winter meetings that the other teams interested in Marte besides Boston and Toronto are the Mariners, Tigers, Pirates, and Rays.
Marte is widely seen as the best second baseman in all of Major League Baseball, and the D-backs are listening to offers on him. Marte, age 32, posted a 4.4 WAR while hitting 28 home runs and posting an .893 OPS in 126 games in 2025. Marte is a 20-30 plus home run hitter who hits for a high average, walks a lot, and doesn’t strike out much, with only a 14.9 percent strikeout rate in 2025, which ranks in the 85th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.
Marte also plays above-average defense, posting a positive 1 (OAA) Outs Above Average score in 2025 as the everyday Diamondbacks second baseman, per Baseball Savant. Looking at all of this, along with the Diamondbacks’ openness to listening to offers from other teams, it’s no surprise that Marte has several prominent suitors. When Morosi talks about “MLB-ready” starting pitchers for Boston, he’s mentioning the likes of names such as Connelly Early, Hunter Dobbins, and Bryan Bello, who all made impactful starts at one point or another for Boston in 2025.
You also have the 23-year-old lefty Payton Tolle, who served as a reliever in his big league debut this past season, but has the stuff and makeup to one day enter a big league rotation.
Diamondbacks Have To Address Starting Pitching
With a Diamondbacks roster that’s in desperate need of starting pitching heading into 2026 due to Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly both being free agents this winter, this report from Morosi logistically makes a lot of sense for both sides. The Diamondbacks’ top starting pitcher at the moment is Ryne Nelson, who had his breakout year in 2025. Still, they are missing ace pitcher Corbin Burnes for a significant portion of next year due to recovering from Tommy John surgery. Reports state that the D-backs are “hopeful” that Burnes could return around the All-Star Break, according to Sports Illustrated.
Rocky Relationship Between Marte and Arizona
Marte signed a six-year $116.5 million contract extension with Arizona back in early April of 2025. However, issues arose with Marte, specifically in the D-backs clubhouse with teammates, and tension only grew after Marte was late in returning to the team post All-Star Break. Marte, leading up to this, had his home burglarized in Scottsdale during the All-Star Break. He was then placed on the restricted list on July 18th. He also dealt with a heckling fan in Chicago against the White Sox, who made some disturbing remarks to him about his mother, who passed away in a car accident in the Dominican Republic back in 2017.
When addressing the reported clubhouse complications with Marte this year, manager Torey Lovullo, who appeared on the Foul Territory podcast earlier today, stated that when communicating to Marte about these personal issues, he said, “He got very private and withdrawn through that time, and I understand that. I just wish communication had been a little better.”
There’s still trade conversations about Ketel Marte, and the 2025 Winter Meetings will continue into tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10th. Within the coming hours of this evening and the next day, we will see whether the Diamondbacks move in a different direction with their star second baseman.
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