The Diamondbacks Made the Right Choice not Trading Ketel Marte

This was the right decision.

Aug 31, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Friday, news broke that likely poured a sense of relief over many (if not most) Arizona Diamondbacks fans. Ketel Marte will not be traded, and will remain with the D-backs for the foreseeable future.

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It had been a long offseason of rumors — much stronger than usual, considering Marte is a player that has been desired for some time. It did, however, feel like the possibility of a trade was larger than ever this offseason.

But with the way Marte's market ended up coming together, the ultimate outcome of holding on to the three-time All-Star was absolutely the right decision by GM Mike Hazen and the D-backs' front office. Here's why:

Why Keeping Ketel Marte was Right Move for Diamondbacks

Sep 28, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) looks skyward after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The goal of a Marte trade would be to improve the D-backs' roster, obviously. Even if Arizona was "motivated" to trade him, and even if last year's midseason drama played a role in their desire to test the market, the Diamondbacks do not improve as a team by ridding themselves of the best second baseman in baseball without bringing back a significant return.

And even then, a significant return would have to fill needs. A gigantic haul of quantity-over-quality players doesn't help Arizona any more than keeping Marte.

Hazen and co. knew that. They're not stupid. In fact, Hazen explicitly stated the team was looking for impact pitching in a potential trade. Other teams, meanwhile, clearly did not want to give up those types of players.

"[A deal] never ended up getting that close," Hazen said to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.

"Just sort of reaffirming what I've been saying the entire offseason, like my expectation was this wasn't going to happen. I felt like I had to do my job just to listen to what people had to say. He's a superstar player for us, and has been for a long time, and is going to continue to be."

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That's understandable on the part of other clubs, but it makes the choice quite easy for Hazen and Arizona's front office. If those teams aren't willing to budge on the type of pitcher that would genuinely aid the D-backs, there's no point in pulling the trigger.

And why would a team trade a player with a career 35.6 bWAR for anything less than a franchise-changing haul, unless that player was so toxic they were desperate to send him out of town?

The latter part of that sentiment does not appear to be remotely true, even if Marte raised some level of frustration among teammates in the past.

So if Hazen was unable to bring back the type of return needed to make a massive impact on Arizona's future pitching staff, there was simply no reason to ever part with a player like Marte, who is already on a team-friendly deal for multiple years.

Yes, there are some aging concerns. Yes, Marte has had an injury history, and yes there was some drama last year. But in this writer's opinion, the best way for the D-backs to compete in 2026 would be to maintain their superstar and look to add in other ways.