One Major Obstacle for Pirates' Pursuit of Ketel Marte
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly in the market, or at least a fit, for one of the top trade targets in Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, who has many top suitors.
Marte would drastically improve the Pirates lineup, who are desperate for his bat and could use his solid defensive work in the infield.
The Pirates have what the Diamondbacks want in a trade return, but one major obstacle may prevent them from landing Marte at all.
Why the Pirates Will Likely Not Land Marte in a Trade
Marte would entertain a number of teams trying to bring him on next season, but there are some teams he'd would absolutely not want to go to.
The Pirates were reportedly on Marte's no-trade clause list last season, according to both Jon Heyman of Bleacher Report and Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
This means that even if the Diamondbacks accepted a trade from the Pirates for Marte, he could prevent the trade going through.
Does This Mean the Pirates Couldn't Land Marte?
A no-trade clause is put into a player's contract, which prevents him from going to different MLB teams for a variety of reasons.
Some players want to stay closer to family, with a player on an east coast team having a no-trade clause to west coast teams. Others want to compete in the postseason and would have a no-trade clause for teams that are near the bottom of the standings or in a rebuilding phase.
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds reportedly has a no-trade clause for six teams, which includes the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants.
The Pirates could still get Marte, but they would have to convince him to waive that no-trade clause, which is always a possibility.
If that is about the Pirates' lack of winning in recent years, might involve them signing some free agents that better the roster, which would convince Marte to join on as part of a winning ball club.
The Pirates may also not have a chance if Marte had a no-trade clause for a different reason that they couldn't overcome.
What the Pirates Would Have to Give Up for Marte
Pittsburgh has a number of great talents in their pitching staff, including NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, veteran Mitch Keller, rookies in Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Bubba Chandler and Mike Burrows, plus Jared Jones returning from injury next season.
The Pirates and the Diamondbacks had the opposite problems last season, as the Pirates struggled hitting, but pitched well, while the Diamondbacks excelled at the plate, but were terrible on the mound.
Arizona would want a huge return for Marte, so the Pirates, who are not trading Skenes, would have to consider giving up some of their best talents.
A trade package featuring Keller, who makes $55.7 million over the next three seasons, and some other pitchers might work, but the Diamondbacks will bargain hard for their best player.
This likely means that players like Chandler, or even first round pick Seth Hernandez would be pitchers that the Pirates might have to give up along with Keller to land Marte.
Who Else Is Going After Marte?
The Pirates will have stiff competition for Marte, if they do try and land him in a trade this offseason, including the the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.
Both Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN and Jon Heyman of the New York Post have named the Pirates a fit for Marte.
Those other teams will try and use their pitching staff and prospects as part of a trade package, so the Pirates must figure out how they can outmaneuver those teams and land the prized star.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.