According to a recent report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Boston Red Sox remain engaged in conversations around Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, who appears to be available in trade talks. 

Heyman said the following on social media:

Ketel Marte market heating up: Red Sox, Mariners, Jays, possibly Phillies and Rays. D-Backs seeking big package understandably for superstar 2B.

About Marte

Now 32 years old, Marte will play the entire 2026 season at 32. An 11-year veteran of the Seattle Mariners and Diamondbacks, he's a career .281 hitter with 171 home runs and 587 RBIs.

The best offensive second baseman in the game, Marte has seven seasons of double-digit home run totals and two seasons of 30 or more on his resume. He's also got two seasons of 90+ RBIs, is a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and an NLCS MVP.

He's signed through the 2030 campaign with just over $90 million remaining. There is also an $11.5 million player option for 2031. Given the price tags on premier players, he's relatively affordable.

For that reason, the Diamondbacks don't have to trade him, either, and the asking price will be steep, as Heyman notes.

What do the Diamondbacks want?

By all indications, the Diamondbacks want talent that is major league ready, or close to it. They aren't looking for a bunch of 18-year-olds who will pop seven years from now. They want to contend, and soon.

So how does that translate to the Red Sox? Well, Boston is uniquely qualified to meet that asking price.

For starters, they have excess outfielders, including Jarren Duran, who has three years left of team control. They also have two-time Gold Glove winner Wilyer Abreu. Either of those players could be of interest to Arizona, especially Abreu, since he's younger and cheaper. He also has four years left of team control.

On the pitching side of things, the Red Sox are blessed with a deep staff that includes Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Johan Oviedo, Patrick Sandoval, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison and Kutter Crawford.

Tolle is the No. 2 prospect in the organization, while Early is No. 4, per MLB Pipeline. Both players made their major league debuts in 2025 and are major-league ready.

Should Boston be wiling to give up Early or Tolle?

In my estimation? Yes. Even though Gray and Sandoval are free agents at the end of the season, the Red Sox have enough pitching to get them through 2027 and beyond. If they can keep one of these two young pitchers, while still having Harrison, they are still in good shape. And that doesn't even factor in Tanner Houck, who will return from Tommy John surgery that year.

What else would Boston have to give up?

If they were to give up one of those two pitchers and one of the two outfielders, the hope is they wouldn't have to go too deep into their prospect bag, but if they did, they are flush with prospect capital.

How would Marte impact the rest of the offseason?

An acquisition of Marte could end the pursuit of a reunion with Alex Bregman, as Marte would play second, and Marcelo Mayer would likely be pushed to third.

After missing out on Pete Alonso, the Red Sox could still be in the market for a first baseman, though Triston Casas remains an option there.

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