The Arizona Diamondbacks organization is frustrated by star second baseman Ketel Marte, who has taken several days off this year.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Marte sitting out a recent game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and opting not to face superstar pitcher Shohei Ohtani bothered some in the Diamondbacks’ organization, especially since Marte played the very next day and hit a walk-off homer.
“Meanwhile, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, who the D-backs tried to trade during the winter, continues to frustrate segments of the organization by opting to take days off. He sat last week when Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched against the Diamondbacks, and then played the next day and hit a walk-off homer,” Nightengale wrote.
Diamondbacks Tried to Trade Ketel Marte Last Offseason
During the winter, the Diamondbacks put Marte on the trade block, though they ultimately chose to hang onto him.
With $87.5 million in guaranteed money remaining on Marte’s contract after this season, the All-Star 2B is a big ticket.
But he’s an excellent player, and well worth the money he’s getting paid. While he’s having somewhat of a down year this season with a .754 OPS so far, he was an All-Star the last two seasons and won the NL Silver Slugger at second base both seasons. So he’s clearly one of the best-hitting second basemen in the game, and he’s paid accordingly.
At 32, the Dominican Republic native is not getting any younger. But with the Diamondbacks trying to get back to the World Series, especially with the resurgence of third baseman Nolan Arenado, they are a better team with him on their roster than if he wasn’t on it.
Will the Diamondbacks Move Ketel Marte at the Trade Deadline?
With all that in mind, the obvious question is whether or not the Diamondbacks will try to trade Marte at this year’s MLB trade deadline.
The Diamondbacks are currently 33-31 at this time of writing, good for just 0.5 GB of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. The team is right in the thick of things, so trading Marte, even if the organization has grown tired of his antics, might not be the right move if the goal is to make the postseason this year.
That being said, perhaps it’s time that Marte goes, if the organization feels that he has worn out his welcome with the team.
If they did trade him, the Diamondbacks would likely get several top prospects and young players in return for him, as any contender would love to get their hands on a big-hitting 2B like Marte.
It might not make the Diamondbacks a better team right now, as Marte is one of their best players, but for the good of the franchise going forward, it might be best for both sides to move on.
We’ll see what the organization does, but based on this report from Nightengale, it feels like there is a rift between the player and the team that just can’t get solved, and it feels like they are leaning towards moving on.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
