After all, Ketel Marte remains in Arizona.
The Diamondbacks are pulling their three-time All-Star off the trade block, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
It’s a decision that comes less than two weeks after Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said they wanted a quick resolution to the situation surrounding their second baseman, who signed a $116.5 extension in April that runs through 2031, with a player option for the final year.
“It never came this close,” Hazen says told MLB.com about possible deals for Marte. “I’m just kind of reaffirming what I’ve been saying all season, like I expected this not to happen. I felt like I had to do my job just to listen to what people had to say. He’s a superstar for us, and has been for a long time, and will continue to be that way.”
The Diamondbacks’ decision could also have a ripple effect on the Alex Bregman market, as Heyman previously reported that if Arizona were to sign Bregman, Marte could have been an option for the Red Sox.
He added Friday that the Diamondbacks could still be in on Bregman even after deciding to keep Marte.
Marte, 32, earned a second Silver Slugger Award during the 2025 season after launching 28 home runs, collecting 72 RBIs and hitting .283 with an .893 OPS.
So now he’ll be tasked with helping the Diamondbacks return to the postseason for the second time since he was traded to Arizona by the Mariners after the 2016 season.
He played a crucial role in helping the Diamondbacks reach the World Series in 2023, hitting .329 with a .914 OPS in 17 games that postseason.
“Obviously we have a lot of uncertainty in certain areas within our team right now and we’ve had to explore every option to build a team,” Hazen told MLB.com. “And fully acknowledge it, if we had [traded Marte] it certainly would have weakened our team tremendously on one side of the ball. I don’t like doing it because of the human factor. I know it puts players in a difficult situation.”
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