The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly one of the teams that have "checked in" with the Arizona Diamondbacks about a potential Ketel Marte trade.
The Philadelphia Phillies need to do something more than just re-sign Kyle Schwarber to be a World Series contender in 2026. Now’s the time for Dave Dombrowski to truly go all in on winning a championship with this iteration of the Phillies.
That could be exactly what Philadelphia has in store for this offseason, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported on Tuesday that the Phillies are one of the teams that have checked in on Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte.
“Among the teams that have checked in, the Phillies and the Blue Jays. Most notable, those two teams, Phillies and Jays are not, are not, on Marte’s limited no-trade clause. Which means, the Phillies or Jays could acquire Marte without his permission,” said Morosi.
The insider went on to note that he’s “talked to multiple sources on this in the last 24 hours. The Diamondbacks are actively listening on Ketel Marte. Nothing is close, but multiple teams have checked in.”
Jul 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) makes the play for an out against the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn ImagesMarte truly would be a perfect fit in Philadelphia.
For starters, on defense, he would easily slot into second base and push either Bryson Stott to third base or Alec Bohm out of the picture for 2026. Perhaps one of those two players would be in a potential trade package for the All-Star.
In terms of the lineup fit, Rob Thomson could easily slot him in the second spot in the lineup, behind Trae Turner and in front of Bryce Harper.
If the Phillies are going to make a move for Marte, it won’t come cheap.
Marte has been one of baseball’s top second basemen the last few seasons. Over the last two years, the 31-year-old has a .288/.374/.539 slash line and a .913 OPS, including 64 home runs and 51 doubles.
Plus, Marte is on one of the most team-friendly deals in MLB. He signed a six-year, $116,500,00 extension before the 2025 season. That brings his AAV to about $19 million a season.
It’s a great sign that the Phillies are reportedly active on the trade market and are looking for upgrades, but it will certainly cost a lot to make meaningful upgrades.