According to Hazen, they won’t keep that attitude through the entire offseason. “It is very likely that we will soon end Marte trade negotiations,” said the General Manager Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. When asked for specifics on the timeline, Hazen said he “hadn’t figured that out yet” but said they can’t afford to stay in a holding pattern much longer. He suggested it was more likely they would take Marte off the table outright rather than approach an agreement on a deal.
“We need to focus this offseason. Again, my feeling all along was that (a trade) wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things that we need to do,” Hazen said. The GM added that talks so far have not reached anywhere near the significant asking price they set to move their star second baseman.
On the one hand, it’s easy enough to write this off as general managers trying to pressure interested clubs to up their bids. Even if Hazen doesn’t set a public deadline, the Snakes could do so internally to allow teams to make their best and final trade offers. At the same time, this is generally consistent with the GM’s stance on Marte trade rumors dating back to the summer. Speculation has been rife since August, when multiple reports emerged that some of Marte’s teammates were frustrated with the number of days off he was taking.
Hazen spoke to Wolf and Luke from Arizona Sports at the time and was of course asked about the possibility of an exchange. “Ketel is one of, if not our best player,” the General Manager said at the time. “He’s a superstar in this league. You win with superstars in this league. Yes, I know it’s a team game and building a team to win baseball games is just as important. It’s up to us to figure out what the right mix of players is.”
We went to the World Series (in 2023) with this player on our team. … So this mentality of where he is on our team and his inability or ability to help us win, it’s hard for me to just accept that. … Where this is at his feet and where it comes from now, I find it a bit bizarre. I don’t ignore the inconsistencies with some of the things that have happened. He addressed those things. We discussed these matters with him.
We are not blind to an imperfect clubhouse and an imperfect selection. … I also have a job and a position to put players on the field that can win baseball games for you, because that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. We’re going to put the best team on the field every day.”
The D-Backs have nonetheless heard teams as the clearest way to acquire controllable starting pitching. They are expected to scale back the payroll from last season’s franchise record $195 million. Grid source currently she projects $168 million in expenses. Marte will get a $15 million salary next season, but $6 million of that will be deferred until 2036. They are not under any financial pressure to move him, and they aren’t even going to begin a soft rebuild. The goal of trade talks would be to acquire multiple MLB or near-ready pieces that could deepen the overall roster.
Despite the payroll constraints, Arizona has addressed the rotation with a pair of free agents. They brought back Merrill Kelly on a two-year, $40 million deal and additional swingman Michael Soroka for a $7.5 million guarantee. They could certainly upgrade another rotation that consists of Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Soroka. However, it is not as urgent as it was two months ago.
The bigger focus now should be on the bullpen, which was decimated by injuries last summer and still lacks top two arms Justin Martinez And AJ Puk. The Snakes also have to decide if they are happy with it Jordan Lawlar as an everyday player (at third base or in the outfield) and could upgrade to center field or first base. The Marte trade rumors come along with reports that the Snakes could make a surprise run Alex Bregman.
“At some point we will have to focus a little more specifically on our group of players,” Hazen noted to Gilbert. “That’s the other reason to finalize what we’re doing with other players so that we have a little more direction on what we can do and what it could look like.” Readers are encouraged to check out the MLB.com column for the full scope of Hazen’s comments.
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