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Shortly after the 2026 Major League Baseball season begins, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte’s 10-and-5 rights kick in (10 years in MLB, five on the same team), giving him a full no-trade clause and control of where he wants to play for the duration of his contract.
That gives the Diamondbacks a timeframe in which they could maximize his value if the club opts to trade arguably its most talented hitter.
Marte, though, has a limited no-trade clause already, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Monday revealed the five teams on it: New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Athletics.
That’s a pretty eclectic group of teams. It’s easy to see why the A’s are on there considering they play in a minor league ballpark, but why the Yankees and not the Mets? Why the Giants specifically among the NL West clubs? Did he eat some bad pierogies in Pittsburgh?
For whatever the reasons he had in contract negotiations, these are not amongst the most closely tied teams to Marte in trade rumors, as the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners have been standouts there.
Reports from Rosenthal and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert indicate that the Diamondbacks agreeing to terms with starting pitcher Merrill Kelly does not eliminate Arizona from trading Marte.
The D-backs have a viable major league rotation after bringing in Kelly and Michael Soroka, and for much of the offseason, the idea of trading Marte was floated to bring in young, MLB-ready pitching. The Diamondbacks have plenty of questions remaining, however, including starting pitching depth, bullpen and certain lineup holes.
Kelly agreed to a two-year deal, Soroka has a mutual option for 2027 and Eduardo Rodriguez is under contract for two more seasons, so the long-term outlook of the rotation is unclear. Corbin Burnes has an opt-out after 2026, as well.
A deal that brings in pitching under team control longer term paired with a bat would be the return to watch for, and perhaps adding Soroka and Kelly would allow the D-backs to explore pitching prospects close but not yet at the MLB level. That’s where a Red Sox package with outfielders Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu with a young pitcher or pitchers — Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, David Sandlin or Kyson Witherspoon — could line up.
