Diamondbacks Ready to Trade Marte After Offseason Shake-Up
Yankees among teams weighing Marte as infield option
Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said the Diamondbacks must restructure the roster, and the most prominent name on the table could be Ketel Marte. The comments, published Nov. 2 in Steve Gilbert’s D-backs Beat newsletter, frame the 2030 extension as a liability the club may finally move.
“I think we need to look at some ways to shake the team up a little bit,” Hazen said. “I think we’ve had this team together for a long time. 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.”
The turnaround in tone is stark. In late 2025 and early 2026, Hazen listened to offers for Marte and turned them down, citing insufficient value and the risk of weakening the club. He later apologized to Marte for the public trade speculation.
Marte, 30, has veto power over any move. He earned 10-and-5 rights early in the 2026 season, granting him the ability to block any trade. Before that, he signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension in April 2025 that runs through 2030, with an $11.5 million player option for 2031. The deal carried $64 million in new money and $46 million in deferred payments. His salary climbs from $15 million in 2026 to $22 million in both 2029 and 2030.
The question of Marte’s place in Arizona has been clouded since Aug. 17, 2026, when he failed to show up for a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Manager Torey Lovullo said he felt betrayed and did not know whether Marte was still in Boston. Marte was placed on the restricted list, then the injured list with left knee inflammation. On Aug. 31, Marte explained that he woke up sore, decided not to appear, and regretted not communicating with his manager.
A baseball source said teams had inquired about Marte and did not view the incident as a dealbreaker. A two-time All-Star and 2023 NLCS MVP, Marte posted a .748 OPS in 2026 after a career .815 mark.
The team’s trajectory supports Hazen’s assessment. Arizona reached the World Series in 2023, then missed the playoffs in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Potential suitors include the New York Yankees, who are reconfiguring their infield for 2027. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who played third base for New York from 2024 to 2026, is a free agent. Manager Aaron Boone plans to evaluate Luis Garcia Jr. at both second and third base, while Anthony Volpe saw time at second base late in the 2026 season and playoffs. Ben Rice is projected as the starting first baseman.
A Marte deal would require Arizona to absorb part of his salary or package a substantial return. Whether the club accepts less value now rather than holding a player whose availability record has become a distraction remains the central question for the offseason.
