Only Ketel Marte knows if he’s a truly a trade candidate or not, as the ball is in the second baseman’s court when it comes to approving a deal. Marte gained 10-and-5 status back in April, so after accumulating 10 years of MLB service time and spending the last five years with one team, the Diamondbacks second baseman now has full no-trade protection. Marte’s veto power over any potential trade adds yet another wrinkle to what has become an increasingly strained relationship between the D’Backs and the three-time All-Star.
The tension stems from Marte’s tendency to miss games without informing the team, which manager Torey Lovullo said in August has happened in each of the last four seasons. Reports of this situation first surfaced in August 2025, about a month after Marte was briefly placed on Arizona’s restricted list after the All-Star break, ostensibly to spend time dealing with the aftermath of a burglary at his home in the Dominican Republic. John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reported that Marte was actually on vacation in the D.R. and was willing to miss a couple of games after the break.
This absence reportedly didn’t sit well with teammates, nor did Marte’s reported ask of a day off in the final week of the 2024 season (as per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) when the Diamondbacks were battling for a wild card slot. Headlines were generated again this August when Marte didn’t show up for a game at Fenway Park and was again placed on the restricted list, before being moved to the 10-day injured list a few days later with an official diagnosis of knee inflammation. He was activated from the IL 14 days after his initial placement on the restricted list, and proceeded to hit only .244/.317/.367 over his final 101 plate appearances of the season.
After returning from the IL, Marte apologized to Lovullo and teammates, and told reporters that his no-show on August 17 in Boston was “a moment of frustration. I’m the type of person that when something is going on in my life, I don’t like to talk about it. That morning I woke up, my body was in pain and I couldn’t react. No one made the decision for me, I’m the one that made the decision not to show up.”
It would be one thing if Marte was missing games just due to injury, as while fans (or even other players) can be critical when someone isn’t “playing through pain,” only that player knows how his body feels. If Marte played hurt and either struggled or sustained a more serious injury, that doesn’t help anyone. However, the unusual nature of Marte’s absences and his lack of candor with even his own team inevitably creates speculation that Marte simply isn’t hurt at all, or at least not as hurt as he claims.
Lovullo told reporters in August that Marte is “definitely a retreater when things are on his mind, some things I cause when I crash down on him. I know [media] want me to sometimes bury him and make him feel even worse than he already does. He doesn’t respond to that….When I do it, he retreats. When something doesn’t go well, he retreats.” However, Lovullo indicated a few weeks ago that he would be changing this strategy, saying “the decisions you make are going to be on you now. I am going to eliminate protecting you the way I have. I can’t do that anymore. At a certain point, I have to allow them [players] to advocate for themselves.”
D’Backs managing general partner Ken Kendrick took an even more blunt stance on Marte during a recent radio interview, saying “Ketel, if he is a Diamondback, I hope he will be the player that he has the talent to be. I hope he will overcome his consistent acts of immaturity.”
The fact that Kendrick floated the idea of Marte not being in Arizona is evidence enough that the D’Backs will consider trade possibilities for the second straight offseason, and this time possibly with more intensity. Last winter, GM Mike Hazen said he was open to offers for Marte out of due diligence, but only until a self-imposed deadline (which ended up being around January 9). The Blue Jays, Giants, Mariners, Phillies, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox, and Tigers all reportedly had some interest in Marte, but nobody met what was known to be a very high asking price for the second baseman’s services.
Looking beyond Marte’s no-trade clause and his off-the-field issues, there are other significant reasons why a deal might be hard to arrange. For one, Marte is coming off a down year by his standards — he hit only .249/.316/.432 with 22 home runs over 624 plate appearances, translating to a modest 103 wRC+. A .257 BABIP and a sizeable gap between his .323 wOBA and .349 xwOBA indicate that Marte was unlucky to some extent, though his walk and hard-hit ball rates each declined from 2025. Most of Marte’s production came during one red-hot 42-game stretch from mid-May to the first week of July, and his otherwise shaky performance contributed to the overall inconsistency of Arizona’s lineup.
Marte’s absences in 2023 and 2024 didn’t stop the D’Backs from signing him a new contract extension in April 2025. This new deal overwrote the final three years and a 2028 club option on Marte’s previous contract, and the extension locked him up through the 2031 season and added $64MM in new money.
While a big chunk of that salary is deferred, Marte is owed $87.5MM over the final five seasons of his contract. A deal that once seemed like a relative bargain based on Marte’s steady production now seems more onerous in the wake of his so-so 2026 campaign, not to mention the well-publicized controversy over his absences. Marte also just turned 33 last week, so interested teams will have to consider whether or not Marte’s numbers might rebound with a change of scenery, or if he simply starting to decline.
Considering all of this baggage attached to Marte’s services, any team looking to swing a trade isn’t likely to be too keen on paying full freight on Hazen’s asking price. A suitor willing to give up prospects or MLB-ready talent for Marte will probably want the Diamondbacks to eat a healthy portion of Marte’s salary for such a trade package….or, teams willing to cover most or all of Marte’s salary might only be willing to do so if the D’Backs take back a low-level prospect or two in return.
Neither of those scenarios are too appealing for Hazen and company, leaving the D’Backs in a tight spot even if Marte is willing to waive his no-trade protection. Marte’s leverage perhaps further narrows Arizona’s options, if he is only open to being dealt to one or a few particular teams.
Moving Marte would be easier if the Diamondbacks were rebuilding, or at least coming off an unsuccessful season. While the Snakes haven’t reached the playoffs since 2023, Arizona had had winning records in two of the last three seasons, and finished within three games of a wild berth in all three years.
Marte’s extension was just one of many significant payroll investments approved by Kendrick in the team’s quest to win, and while payroll is coming down next year, the D’Backs are intent on winning. This means if Marte is moved, his salary will probably (to some extent) be reinvested into adding some win-now talent. Or, the D’Backs might try to bring on another established veteran playing on an unfavorable contract.
Hindsight being 20-20, it is fair to wonder if the Diamondbacks regret not moving Marte last winter when they had freer reign, as Marte’s previous contract had only a five-team no-trade list (the A’s, Cardinals, Giants, Pirates, and Yankees were the clubs on Marte’s list last winter). Or, if the D’Backs hadn’t signed Marte to that last contract extension, 2027 would’ve been the final guaranteed year of Marte’s old deal, with a $14MM salary for 2027 and a $3MM buyout of a $13MM club option for 2028.
This wouldn’t have necessarily made a trade this offseason any easier, as Marte still would’ve had his 10-and-5 trade protection and might’ve insisted on an extension from a new team or at least a guarantee of the 2028 option as a condition for approving a swap. The discord from August 2025 also surely had impact on Marte’s trade market last winter, and only Hazen knows if any team offered anything even remotely worth consideration. It would’ve been a big risk in selling low on Marte last winter, as he was coming off an excellent 2025 campaign that included All-Star and Silver Slugger honors.
With all these factors in mind, it’s probably likelier than not that Marte will be the Snakes’ starting second baseman come Opening Day. Again, Marte himself holds the key to his future depending on his willingness to approve a trade, and Marte hasn’t given any public indication that he wants out of Arizona. However, one never knows how things may shake out when a player with an All-Star ceiling is on the trade market, as it takes only one rival team to step up with an offer that appeals to both Marte and the Diamondbacks alike.
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