A manager has his own responsibilities at the winter meetings each year, but Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo heard all the Ketel Marte trade chatter.
He knows Marte is aware of it, too, as the they have remained in contact during an offseason that has been dominated by speculation and trade calls.
“I’ve been in touch with Ketel through this entire process, this entire offseason, making sure that he is doing OK,” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Thursday.
“Because I hear the rumors and I know he does too. He’s very dialed in to what’s going on around him. So that’s my job to make sure that everybody is gonna flush this, make sure to go out there and say, ‘Look, this is day one of spring training, and we’re gonna go out there and do our best to root ourselves in the right seat to win a world championship.”
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There is an increasing possibility Marte is not part of that day one conversation, however.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Thursday that the Diamondbacks entered the winter meetings thinking Marte would not get traded but left with a different belief. General manager Mike Hazen told reporters in Orlando that a deal remains unlikely, but “it’s hard for me to give you an expectation.”
There is a lot of league interest in adding a superstar on a reasonable contract, but the Diamondbacks should get back a haul if they make that decision.
Lovullo told Foul Territory he does not want to see Marte, a player he’s worked with for nine seasons, go. He admitted that last season got a bit awkward around the All-Star break and the ensuing reports about Marte’s time-off requests, but he ensured Marte took accountability.
The Diamondbacks have star players to build around beyond Marte with Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo, but there is always a great risk of losing trades when you send out the best player.
Either way, Lovullo expressed faith in the front office’s ability to build a contender whether a blockbuster deal is coming or not.
“You’re right about the two players you mentioned with Perdomo and Corbin Carroll. They have emerged as young superstars inside of this game,” Lovullo said. “Everybody asks me about those two guys and what they’re like. ‘How did you guys develop them? And how did it happen so quickly with them?’ That’s exciting for me.
“On the other side of it with Ketel Marte, a team calls and all of a sudden, it opens Pandora’s box and Ketel Marte’s leaving Arizona. I’m not sure what’s gonna happen. … They’ll listen on anything at any time on anybody. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t, and whatever happens is gonna happen. … I know Mike, I trust Mike, I trust his group and we’re gonna get better no matter what.”
Lovullo: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly markets might be getting a little too big for Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks made their first pitching acquisition of the winter in agreeing to terms with Michael Soroka, but two longtime rotation staples remained free agents through the winter meetings: Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen.
Lovullo said on Foul Territory he’d love to have both back, but he admitted to Bickley & Marotta how difficult that may end up being.
“The Merrill Kelly-Zac Gallen situation is very fluid,” Lovullo said. “Who knows where that’s gonna go? We’re gonna all remain optimistic that they’ll remain Diamondbacks. But the reality of it is they’re probably getting a little bit too big for what we can take care of.”
The Diamondbacks have spent a lot of money on pitching in the recent past, but the payroll is in a difficult spot. Nearly a third of Arizona’s current projected payroll will land on the injured list at the start of next season, and the D-backs have starting and relief pitching needs.
If both Gallen and Kelly make over $20 million per year on their next contracts, that would make signing either of them, not to mention both of them, difficult unless the club sheds some payroll elsewhere.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo admits free agent pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen may be "getting a little bit too big for what we can take care of." pic.twitter.com/m3LlJswNSX
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 11, 2025
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