The Boston Red Sox have been one of the most active teams this offseason, and as of December 22, they've already pulled off 10 trades involving players on their 40-man roster. But even with all that movement, the front office doesn’t seem ready to hit the brakes just yet.
One of the names that continues to surface in Red Sox trade chatter is Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte - a switch-hitting All-Star with pop, speed, and positional versatility. Multiple reports have linked Boston to Marte, and while there was a brief moment when it seemed like talks might be cooling - following the Willson Contreras deal - that hasn’t been confirmed by any other sources around the league.
The phrasing used in those reports suggested an expectation, not a certainty, that discussions would end. So, Marte-to-Boston remains very much on the board.
But now, there’s a new wrinkle. The New York Mets have entered the picture.
According to Francys Romero, the Mets are beginning to explore Marte as a potential solution at second base - a position that suddenly became a need after they traded Jeff McNeil to the Oakland Athletics earlier in the day in what amounted to a salary dump. That move not only cleared McNeil’s contract off the books, but also opened a spot in the infield, giving the Mets a reason - and the flexibility - to go after Marte.
This makes New York the second team to clear out a starting second baseman while reportedly being in the mix for Marte. The Tampa Bay Rays did the same just a few days earlier, sending Brandon Lowe to the Pirates in a three-team deal. It’s worth noting that Tampa had already been talking to Arizona about Marte before that trade, but moving Lowe certainly made the path clearer - both in terms of roster space and salary.
The Mets, like the Red Sox, are well-positioned to make a competitive offer. Both teams have young, controllable starting pitchers and middle infield prospects - exactly the type of return Arizona is believed to be targeting.
In Boston’s case, the Diamondbacks have reportedly shown interest in names like Marcelo Mayer, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle. Mayer, in particular, is a top-tier prospect and would be a steep price to pay.
The Mets don’t have a blue-chip name quite on Mayer’s level, but they do have Jett Williams - a former top-three prospect in their system who plays both middle infield and center field. He’s also considered MLB-ready, which could appeal to an Arizona team looking to stay competitive in the short term.
For Red Sox fans, this latest development adds another layer of frustration to an offseason that’s already felt like a waiting game. Boston has yet to land the kind of impact bat fans have been hoping for. Contreras brings value, no doubt - he’s a steady performer and a reliable presence - but he doesn’t have the kind of game-changing upside that Marte brings to the table.
And now, with the Mets officially in the mix, the road to a Marte deal just got a lot more complicated. The longer Boston waits, the more crowded the market becomes - and the more likely it is that someone else swoops in first.
It’s not over yet, but if the Red Sox are serious about adding a dynamic, top-of-the-order threat like Ketel Marte, the clock is ticking.