All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte has no ill feelings after being floated as trade bait by the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason, saying “I want to be here.”
“It’s baseball, I understand the business side of it and how it works,” Marte told MLB.com after reporting early to camp in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marte signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension with the Diamondbacks in April 2025 and then went out an posted a season in which he hit .283 with 28 home runs, 72 RBIs and scored 87 runs while earning his third All-Star nod.
General manager Mike Hazen, however, wanted to lower payroll and said he was willing to listen to offseason trade offers for Marte, who will acquire 10-and-5 rights to veto any trade in April.
“It never ended up getting that close,” Hazen said, according to MLB.com. “I felt like I had to do my job just to listen to what people had to say. He’s a superstar player for us, and has been for a long time, and is going to continue to be.”
Marte, 32, said he and Hazen “hashed some things out” in a face-to-face meeting after trade talks were shut down in early January.
“Everything is great,” Marte said. “Mike knows I love the D-backs, I love my teammates. Everyone knows what type of player I am, and I’m just happy it all worked out and I’m here.”
