The Boston Red Sox have already made a splash this offseason, bolstering their rotation by trading for veteran right-hander Sonny Gray. It’s a move that signals clear intent: Boston’s looking to compete, and they’re loading up on arms to do it. But with that depth comes flexibility-and other teams around the league are starting to notice.
The Red Sox now find themselves with a surplus of starting pitching, and it’s not just back-end depth either. Names like Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Patrick Sandoval bring varying levels of experience and upside. Add in younger arms like Hunter Dobbins and Kyle Harrison, and you’ve got a group that could draw serious interest from teams looking to shore up their own rotations.
One of those teams appears to be the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to reports, Arizona is open for business when it comes to their All-Star second baseman, Ketel Marte. They’re actively fielding offers and are making it clear: they want pitching-and a lot of it-in return.
Marte, who signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension last spring (with $46 million in deferred money), is arguably the Diamondbacks’ most valuable trade chip. He’s a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, and he’s been nothing short of excellent over the past two seasons, posting a .288/.374/.539 slash line with 64 home runs. That kind of production doesn’t grow on trees, especially at a premium position like second base.
But here’s where things get tricky for Boston. As talented as Marte is, he may not be the cleanest fit for the Red Sox roster as currently constructed.
The infield is already crowded. The team has a logjam of young talent, with top prospect Marcelo Mayer pushing for playing time and Kristian Campbell-fresh off signing an extension-expected to be a key contributor after an up-and-down season.
Trevor Story’s resurgence only adds to the congestion. And if the Red Sox manage to re-sign Alex Bregman, who remains a top priority this offseason, it becomes even harder to find room for everyone.
In theory, Mayer could slide over to second base with Bregman holding down third, but that leaves Campbell in limbo. Add Marte to that equation, and suddenly you’re looking at a roster puzzle that’s tough to solve without pushing out young, controllable talent the organization has spent years developing.
That’s the dilemma. Marte is a proven star-he’s the kind of player who can help a contender right away.
But he’s also 31, comes with a hefty contract, and would likely require the Red Sox to part with both pitching and long-term infield flexibility. For a team that’s trying to thread the needle between winning now and building sustainably, that’s a tough sell.
Of course, if Boston were to lose Bregman in free agency, that changes the calculus. In that scenario, Mayer could take over at third, and Marte could fill the hole at second.
That’s a lineup with serious upside and balance. But as things stand, the Red Sox seem more inclined to let their young core grow together rather than reshuffle the deck for a veteran addition.
The Red Sox and Diamondbacks do line up well on paper for a potential deal-Boston has the arms, and Arizona has the bat. But fit matters, and right now, Ketel Marte might be more of a luxury than a necessity for a Red Sox team that’s already deep in the infield and focused on keeping its homegrown talent on the field.