The best fits for a Ketel Marte trade

Star Diamondbacks infielder Kettle Marte has dominated the trading rumble over the past month. Despite repeatedly saying he doesn’t think a trade is likely, general manager Mike Hazen has been hammered by calls from opponents hoping to pry the All-Star slugger away from Arizona.

Marte is such a well-known commodity that we don’t need to go through a comprehensive overview of his resume here, but it’s worth explaining some basics. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has steadily produced an above-average to elite offense dating back to 2018. He is a switch-hitter who is posting a massive .283/.368/.519 slash (140 wRC+) over the past three seasons. Marte is a superstar who signed a contract that better suits a newly appointed arbitration player. He is owed $102.5 million over the next six seasons, with the final year of that being an $11.5 million player option. He will get $15 million in 2026, $12 million in 2027, $20 million in 2028 and $22 million in 2029-30.

Arizona has reportedly been looking for multiple major league starting pitchers who would even consider parting ways with Marte. In concrete terms, they focus on manageable arms that can be a cog in the starting staff in the long term. They reportedly talked to the Rays about a deal that included both Ryan Pepiot And Shane Baz before the latter was traded to Baltimore, for example.

Hazen has been relatively open about listening to offers and his reluctance to actually move Marte through the winter. He indicated last week that he wants to resolve this situation quickly one way or another. This was understandably seen by many as a call for the best and latest offers.

Now that a resolution to the situation seems close one way or another, it feels worth going through the league to find the best fit for Marte, some viable dark horse spots, and also drafting the clubs that don’t feel like they’ll play a big role. Let’s go through it all.