As the MLB offseason trade chatter picks up steam, one name starting to surface is Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte. But while his bat would certainly turn heads in any lineup, his long-term contract and defensive limitations might give some teams pause-especially a club like the Cincinnati Reds, who are trying to build a contender without busting the budget.
Let’s break it down. Marte is still a force at the plate, and his $16 million salary for 2026 is manageable on paper.
But the deal he inked earlier this year-a five-year, $116.5 million extension-is backloaded, meaning the real financial hit comes in the later years. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team like the Reds, who are trying to balance competitiveness with payroll flexibility.
Add in the fact that Marte’s defense has been trending downward and that he’s not a clean positional fit, and it’s easy to see why Cincinnati might think twice.
But just because Marte might not be the answer doesn’t mean the Reds should hang up the phone on Arizona. In fact, there’s another name on the Diamondbacks’ roster who might make a lot more sense: Jake McCarthy.
Now, McCarthy isn’t going to light up the marquee. He’s not a splashy acquisition. But he might be exactly what the Reds need-especially if the goal is to tighten up the defense and add some speed and versatility to the outfield.
Let’s look at what McCarthy brings to the table. First, he’s a left-handed bat, which helps balance a lineup that could use more from that side of the plate.
More importantly, he’s a capable outfielder with experience at all three spots. That kind of flexibility is gold for a team still figuring out its best defensive alignment.
In center field, McCarthy logged limited innings in 2025-just 109-but didn’t hurt the team defensively, posting 0 Outs Above Average (OAA). The more telling sample comes from 2024, when he played nearly 500 innings in center and registered 4 OAA. That’s solid production, and it suggests he can handle the position if given the opportunity.
If the Reds were to slide McCarthy into center, they could shift TJ Friedl to left-a move that could pay dividends. Friedl has been inconsistent with the glove.
In 2025, he posted 1 OAA across 1,295 innings in center, which is serviceable. But in 2024, over roughly half that playing time, he recorded -5 OAA.
That’s a red flag. Moving him to a less demanding corner spot could help mask some of those defensive issues while still keeping his bat in the lineup.
So what’s the catch? The bat.
That’s where McCarthy’s case gets a little murkier. He’s been a part-time player for most of his career, typically shielded from left-handed pitching, and his offensive production has been a bit of a roller coaster.
There’s a clear even-odd year pattern in his numbers: a strong 116 wRC+ in 2022, followed by a down year at 78 in 2023, then a bounce-back to 110 in 2024, and a steep drop to 60 in 2025.
He’s not going to hit for much power-he’s never topped eight home runs in a season-but he does have some gap-to-gap pop, as shown by his career .121 isolated power (ISO). And he brings one tool that never slumps: speed. With 80 stolen bases over the last four seasons, McCarthy can change a game on the basepaths.
In the end, McCarthy wouldn’t be a headline-grabbing acquisition, but he could be a smart one. The Reds aren’t likely to land a big bat in free agency or via trade without stretching their budget uncomfortably thin. So why not lean into what they’re trying to build-defense, speed, and run prevention-and find value in places other teams might overlook?
Terry Francona has made it clear that defense matters in Cincinnati. The club’s numbers in 2025 show there’s still work to be done.
They ranked 16th in team OAA (2), 20th in fielding run value (-7), and 21st in fielding percentage (.985). They also committed 87 errors-11th most in the league.
That’s not going to cut it for a team with postseason aspirations.
McCarthy won’t fix everything, but he could be a step in the right direction. And for Nick Krall and the Reds front office, finding undervalued pieces like this might be the best path forward. Sometimes the smartest moves aren’t the flashiest-they’re the ones that quietly make your team better in the margins.