The Boston Red Sox's infield connections have been seemingly endless this offseason. Almost every top infielder on the free agent and trade markets has been linked to the Red Sox at one point or another, almost all of them framed as replacements for Alex Bregman.
Despite being a second baseman, current Arizona Diamondback Ketel Marte is no exception. If Boston traded for him as opposed to signing Bregman, he'd play second base while Marcelo Mayer moved to third base, where he played a few weeks of solid defense as Bregman healed a quad injury.
Marte won't be a backup option for much longer. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said that the team is soon to "put an end" to the veteran's stint on the trade block.
“But this isn’t going to continue to linger. We need to focus our offseason. Again, my gut this whole time was that [a trade of Marte] wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do,” Hazen said (via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com).
Hazen didn't give a firm deadline for when Arizona is expected to end Marte trade discussions. The second baseman has been on the market for weeks with little to no smoke about a real suitor — the D-Backs and Red Sox have reportedly been in discussions for weeks, but nothing has gone anywhere because Boston has been uncomfortable with their asking price.
The impending end of Marte discussions means the Red Sox will have to make their infield reinforcement decision soon. Boston is still pursuing a reunion with Bregman and it's checked in on Bo Bichette — if another team signs them before it does, a Marte trade could be its best option to strengthen its infield. If the Red Sox sign one of them soon, they wouldn't need to send prospects to Arizona for Marte.
Diamondbacks will soon end Ketel Marte trade negotiations which could force Red Sox to make infield decision
Marte is one of the best second basemen in MLB, and if the Sox traded for him, he'd fill a position that has experienced frequent turnover rates since Dustin Pedroia's career-ending injury in 2017. He batted .283/.376/.517 with an .893 OPS, 28 doubles and 28 homers over 126 games in 2025. He plays better defense than most of Boston's second base options with an out above average and 74th percentile range in 2025. Marte had an excellent defensive season in 2024 with eight OAA and 93rd percentile range.
But he may not be the best fit for the Red Sox. There have been rumors that Marte's attitude in the clubhouse is not satisfactory, which is one of the main reasons the Red Sox made the Rafael Devers trade (or so they say). Such reports are often exaggerated with Latin American players, however.
It doesn't make sense for Boston to continue depleting its farm system by making more trades, especially when it has money to spend. Rumors have circulated that the Diamondbacks' trade offers have included top young pitchers like Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, as well as Mayer, and such packages have rightly kept the Sox from making the move.
Hazen's declaration that Marte trade negotiations will cease soon could be a leverage play to force one of the interested parties to meet Arizona's asking price. Either way, the Red Sox should only make the deal they feel is right for them and their future plans, which seems to be why negotiations have held on for this long.