A renewed trade market puts Payton Tolle and Connelly Early back on Arizona’s radar, and forces a tough conversation for Boston’s front office.
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Ketel Marte is back on the trade market, folks!
On Thursday, the veteran MLB insider reported that both Connelly Early and Payton Tolle are on the Diamondbacks’ radar in a potential Marte trade. Heyman went on to say that the trade of Marte is more likely to occur if Arizona is able to pull off the signing of Alex Bregman, but that’s another topic for another day (probably tomorrow, let’s be real).
Just last week, Heyman was the same guy who reported that the window to trade for Marte was seemingly closing.
“The Diamondbacks have told teams trading season for star 2B Ketel Marte will end soon,” wrote Heyman last week. “The Red Sox, Rays and Mariners have been bidding.”
One week later, and we’re cooking with gas again as Tolle and Early’s names are brought back to the forefront of conversation.
From Boston’s side, Marte has long represented a very specific type of target.
He’s not a rental. He’s not a headline-free agent with years of downside baked into the deal. He’s a proven, switch-hitting impact bat with positional flexibility and postseason experience, signed to a contract through the 2030 season that aligns with how Craig Breslow has preferred to build this roster.
That alignment is key.
Along with second base remaining unsettled, the middle of the lineup still lacks a true stabilizer. And while the Red Sox have emphasized internal development, there’s a clear gap between believing in prospects and asking them to carry a contender immediately (see Kristian Campbell post-April 2025). Marte bridges that gap in a way few available players can.
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Between Tolle and Early, Who Should the Red Sox Trade?
Before we start tearing any of these guys down, I want to make one thing clear - both of these young pitchers have incredible upside.
Tolle’s major league debut at Fenway Park on August 29 came with eventual NL Cy Young Award-winner Paul Skenes sharing the marquee, and the 23-year-old more than lived up to the billing, going 5.1 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 3 hits, issuing just 2 walks and striking 8. For maybe the only time during the 2025 season, Skenes was outdueled by the opposing pitcher.
It was a special night at the ballpark.
Early’s major league debut came on the opposite coast, and was even more impressive.
On September 9, Early struck out 11 Athletics in Sacramento over five shutout innings, tying the Red Sox franchise record for strikeouts in a debut. He allowed just 1 walk and scattered 5 hits, earning a win in a 6-0 victory while showcasing an impressive fastball and sharp secondary pitches to dominate the A’s in one of the best Red Sox pitching debuts ever.
Early remained effective throughout the remainder of the season - so much so that when Boston was in need of arms come Game 3 of their Wild Card series against the Yankees, it was this 23-year-old getting the call to see if he could help save Boston’s season.
His performance at Yankee Stadium was a mixed bag. He showed promise with 6 strikeouts and a good FIP (0.68), but ultimately took a tough 4-0 loss on 3 earned runs in 3.2 innings. His strong rookie season ended on a tough note, but he showcased his potential as a future playoff starter.
With both players only giving us incredibly small sample sizes to work with, I’m giving the slight edge to keeping Early over Tolle.
I think Early is more major-league ready right now, and I think Red Sox fans are ready for this team to be a winner sooner rather than later. Tolle might have a higher upside as a power pitcher, but he has a long way to go with his secondary stuff. Add in the fact that power pitchers tend to be much more injury prone, and it becomes an even easier choice.
If one of these guys can hammer home a Marte trade, it’s a no brainer.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.