The Arizona Diamondbacks’ decision to hold onto Ketel Marte this offseason has unearthed another series of questions before spring training starts next month.
Floating Marte as a means to acquire a significant package to round out the roster and open payroll was reasonable, as is holding onto him when no offer met the desired threshold.
It is difficult to get the proper value for the best player in a prospective deal, as Marte is coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons as the best switch-hitter in Major League Baseball via OPS (.913).
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The trade rumors took up a lot of oxygen in headlines, but in general manager Mike Hazen’s words to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, “It never ended up getting that close.” This was not a bidding war where the best offer simply won his services.
Ultimately, the Diamondbacks are in a very similar position as they were at the start of the winter.
They added to the rotation with Michael Soroka and Merrill Kelly. On Saturday, they traded outfielder Jake McCarthy for pitching prospect Josh Grosz. But the club needs bullpen help, probably a couple bats and wants more starting pitching.
The payroll, as far as we know, is still expected to come down from last year. It sits at a projected $167 million, $21 million away from the 2025 number, per FanGraphs.
In addition, cutting off Marte’s trade market generates two new curiosities:
Does this decision take Arizona out of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes altogether? What if a team strikes out in free agency and sends Arizona the Godfather offer for Marte later?There have been some mixed reports on whether the D-backs have any shot at Bregman with Marte’s contract on the books.
Bregman is a three-time All-Star third baseman who re-entered free agency this winter and has been tied to Arizona, where he lives and trains during the offseason.
Bregman opted out of a three-year, $120 million deal with Boston after one season and has an “aggressive” offer on the table from the Red Sox, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey.
Adding Bregman would likely zoom the D-backs past their expected budget.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported, “There was no way the Diamondbacks could get Alex Bregman unless they dealt Ketel Marte.” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said keeping Marte takes Arizona out of the Bregman sweepstakes barring “dramatic creativity.” Marte has a team-friendly contract but is still owed more than $100 million through 2031.
As for the latter question, there are still big names available in free agency, but what if the Red Sox (for example) strike out on Bregman? What if Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette all sign with teams outside of Boston? And what if the Red Sox look at their remaining options and offer the D-backs their desired trade package to get Marte later?
Is he now completely untouchable, like Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo?
Coming out and saying he will stay indicates to him and the fan base as such, as Gambadoro reported Hazen and Marte have talked to make sure they were on the same page.
As for the remainder of the offseason with Marte aboard, Arizona still has to answer several questions dating back from the end of their season:
How will the D-backs address the bullpen? What does the lineup below the top four (Marte, Carroll, Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno) look like? Will the Diamondbacks trade top prospects for pitching?“We are still in the process of trying to add to our pitching staff,” Hazen said after trading McCarthy on Saturday. “Bullpen, starting, whether it’s depth, whether it’s jumping right into the rotation, is still the main area of focus.
“I think there’s a couple bats we probably need to add to complement the guys we have … continuing to build out depth and positional flexibility. Maybe some platoon looks from an offensive standpoint, and then certainly prioritizing the defense and pitching.”
Arizona has yet to sign or trade for a major league reliever.
The closer market was the swiftest in free agency. They are all gone, from Edwin Diaz to Pete Fairbanks to Kenley Jansen.
There are numerous relievers left with varying degrees of high-leverage experience, such as Seranthony Dominguez, Michael Kopech, Pierce Johnson, Tyler Kinley and Jalen Beeks. The Diamondbacks won’t have A.J. Puk or Justin Martinez to start the year as they rehab from elbow surgeries, and the bullpen is younger with no clear answers for the ninth inning.
First baseman Pavin Smith hardly faced lefties last season, a campaign in which he went scorched earth in April and was pretty lousy after that. Tyler Locklear and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are working back from injuries, while the D-backs have several players with positional versatility but without a lot (if any) of MLB experience.
Paul Goldschmidt has been a name to watch as the D-backs consider a right-handed bat, but there are others out there. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal mentioned Eugenio Suarez, Rhys Hoskins and Marcell Ozuna as free agent, right-handed bats who could fill a need, as well as Baltimore’s Ryan Mountcastle as a potential trade target.
Hazen said there are players yet to make their MLB debuts who will compete for spots on the team, as well.
Finally, Arizona has found success with offseason trades recently, such as Suarez and Josh Naylor (the Naylor-Slade Cecconi trade can be revisited, but Naylor was a solid D-back).
With a farm system that has improved in the past couple years, how aggressive will they get down the wire to go after established talent or a controllable pitcher in the vein of a Zac Gallen circa 2019 type of deal?
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