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The Arizona Diamondbacks will not trade second baseman Ketel Marte, general manager Mike Hazen said on Friday, Jan. 9, bringing an end to months of discussions about a possible deal.
The club had explored the possibility of a trade in the hopes of bringing back younger, cheaper players. A deal also would have shed payroll that could have then been reallocated.
Hazen has said over the past month that he did not want the talks to drag much beyond the start of the year. He wanted to turn his focus to finding other ways to upgrade his roster.
The Diamondbacks seemed interested in making a deal happen if the right one presented itself. Apparently, one never did.
One possible reason was that the club was said to have had a high asking price that rival clubs were reluctant to reach. Teams also might have preferred to take their chances on the free-agent market, which still features several unsigned star position players, including Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger and Alex Bregman.
Another possibility is that clubs were concerned about Marte’s makeup and fit in a new clubhouse, particularly after he upset teammates by missing games after the All-Star break last year following a break-in at his Scottsdale home, an incident for which he later apologized.
More DBacks news: Diamondbacks avoid salary arbitration with 8 players, per source
Keeping Marte, of course, is far from a bad outcome for the Diamondbacks. He has been the best second baseman in the majors over the past few seasons, accumulating 16 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), per Baseball-Reference, the most at the position.
It could, however, make it more difficult for the club to shore up its pitching staff.
The Diamondbacks have rounded out their rotation this winter by bringing back free-agent Merrill Kelly and signing veteran Michael Soroka, but the bullpen, a major trouble spot in recent seasons, remains unchanged and in need of upgrades.
Hazen has said he remains engaged in the free-agent and trade markets in search of bullpen help.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ketel Marte will not be traded, Diamondbacks GM says
Continue reading...
The club had explored the possibility of a trade in the hopes of bringing back younger, cheaper players. A deal also would have shed payroll that could have then been reallocated.
Hazen has said over the past month that he did not want the talks to drag much beyond the start of the year. He wanted to turn his focus to finding other ways to upgrade his roster.
The Diamondbacks seemed interested in making a deal happen if the right one presented itself. Apparently, one never did.
One possible reason was that the club was said to have had a high asking price that rival clubs were reluctant to reach. Teams also might have preferred to take their chances on the free-agent market, which still features several unsigned star position players, including Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger and Alex Bregman.
Another possibility is that clubs were concerned about Marte’s makeup and fit in a new clubhouse, particularly after he upset teammates by missing games after the All-Star break last year following a break-in at his Scottsdale home, an incident for which he later apologized.
More DBacks news: Diamondbacks avoid salary arbitration with 8 players, per source
Keeping Marte, of course, is far from a bad outcome for the Diamondbacks. He has been the best second baseman in the majors over the past few seasons, accumulating 16 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), per Baseball-Reference, the most at the position.
It could, however, make it more difficult for the club to shore up its pitching staff.
The Diamondbacks have rounded out their rotation this winter by bringing back free-agent Merrill Kelly and signing veteran Michael Soroka, but the bullpen, a major trouble spot in recent seasons, remains unchanged and in need of upgrades.
Hazen has said he remains engaged in the free-agent and trade markets in search of bullpen help.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ketel Marte will not be traded, Diamondbacks GM says
Continue reading...
