A Saturday morning buzz around Ketel Marte didn’t last long.
MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported that the Blue Jays were “intensifying talks” to land the Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman, and that a four-year, $135-million extension was being discussed as a restructure of his current deal. The idea moved quickly, but it also raised eyebrows right away. Marte is already owed $89 million, and that kind of extension for a 33-year-old second baseman sounded steep.
By early afternoon, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith had cooled things off. He said Toronto does have “some interest” in Marte as it looks to upgrade its lineup, but he also noted that Marte would need to approve any trade, Arizona’s asking price is believed to be high, and he is “not under the impression there’s been any new traction there as of Saturday morning.”
So the picture is clearer now: the Blue Jays are interested, but this is not a deal on the brink.
That interest has been around for a while. Toronto was tied to Marte last winter when Arizona first looked into moving him, and The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported this week that the Blue Jays had checked in again.
It makes sense why they’d keep circling back. Toronto finished last in baseball in runs scored (648), home runs (152) and RBI (616) in 2026, and Marte, at his best, is right there with the best second basemen in the sport.
He’s a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and the 2023 NLCS MVP. In 2026, he hit .249 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI.
Still, there are plenty of hurdles.
Marte signed a six-year, $116.5-million extension in April 2025. About $87.5 million is still left on the deal over five seasons, with deferrals and an $11.5-million player option for 2031.
He also has full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player, meaning he can block any move. During the GM Meetings this week, the Diamondbacks met with his agent, and according to the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro, they didn’t leave with a clear sense of which teams Marte would actually accept.
Toronto may have one small edge there: Marte is married to a cousin of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
There’s also the matter of what happened in August. Marte didn’t show up for a game in Boston on August 17, and that added to the questions about his reliability.
His production dipped in 2026, and Arizona is trying to trim payroll, which is part of why he’s even on the market. That also helps explain why the asking price, while still high, is expected to be lower than it was last winter.
For now, the Blue Jays remain in the market for infield help, with Marte as one name among several. They’ve also been connected to free agents Brandon Lowe and Jazz Chisholm Jr., and there are other middle-infield possibilities available in trade.
If Arizona lowers its demands, or if Marte decides Toronto is a destination he’d accept, then the conversation could get real. Until then, it’s just that: a conversation.
In Other News...
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His exit also says something about where Toronto stands with its infield depth and roster crunches heading into the offseason. Williams was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, but the Blue Jays never added him to the 40-man roster, leaving him exposed and now available to sign with any club that sees a clearer path for his bat. [Read more 🡒]
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For Toronto, it is another reminder that Boston is trying to reshape its offense with players who can do damage and still offer some roster flexibility. The plan is to use Bauers mostly as a designated hitter with some first-base duty mixed in, a role that suits his bat even if the glove remains a work in progress, and it gives the Blue Jays one more name to track as the division race keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]