Insider Explains Why Ketel Marte is the Clear Top 2B in Baseball

The Arizona Diamondbacks did not trade Ketel Marte this offseason, and they are going to be better for that decision.

D-backs fans have long known Marte to be the top at his position, but it's becoming undeniable on a national level.

ESPN insider Buster Olney put together a compilation of the top players in baseball at each and every position. Without much deliberation, Olney held Marte above all other at the No. 1 spot on the list of second basemen.

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Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte Named No. 1 2B in Baseball

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields on Feb. 16, 2026, in Scottsdale. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here's what Olney had to say about his ranking of Arizona's superstar second baseman:

"You can understand why Arizona maintained a high asking price on Marte before deciding not to trade him. Over the past three seasons, he has produced about 15 fWAR, or about $135 million in value, while making $40 million under the terms of his contract.

"Even in a season in which he invited scrutiny by going AWOL after the All-Star break following his home being robbed -- a decision for which he eventually apologized to his team-- he was still an incredibly effective player, with 28 homers, 87 runs and a 145 OPS+ in 126 games. He excels offensively, and while the numbers suggest he is just average defensively, he continues to be the preeminent player at this position," Olney wrote.

It makes sense, given both his overall numbers and the electric moments Marte has contributed to in his tenure with the D-backs, that fans were against trading the star infielder. Marte himself never wanted to leave Arizona, either.

Marte is a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger winner and the 2023 NLCS MVP, boosting Arizona to their first pennant win since the 2001 season that year. Exploring trade options this offseason was a difficult process, for both Marte and D-backs fans.

"It's baseball, I understand the business side of it and how it works," Marte told MLB.com's Gilbert earlier this offseason. "There were a few comments out there on social media that I wasn't happy with, but I love the D-backs and I want to be here."

GM Mike Hazen told reporters he apologized to Marte for how public the trade rumors became.

"He and I have had a number of conversations. We had dinner together. I don't ever expect the player to fully understand it because... that's the way they're wired. And I appreciate that. I also... told him I apologize, not for doing my job or the things that I felt like I had to do, but more so that his name was so out there in public," Hazen said.