Red Sox's Next Move After Ketel Marte Letdown Should Be Obvious

It was never a cinch, but it's now fully time to pivot

Sep 2, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) runs around the bases after a three run home run in the seventh inning of the game between Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Of the many possible paths to adding star talent to the Boston Red Sox this offseason, one appears to have sealed off.

On Tuesday, Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen all but confirmed his team plans to keep second baseman Ketel Marte, who was a frequently-rumored Red Sox trade candidate this offseason, especially around the winter meetings earlier this month.

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"This isn’t going to continue to linger. We need to focus our offseason," Hazen told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. "Again, my gut this whole time was that (a trade of Marte) wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do.”

With no Marte, path forward is clear

The Red Sox have been dragging their feet in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes to a frustrating degree. But the Marte news should be the wake-up call they needed to add that extra year or those few extra millions of dollars to seal the deal with the three-time All-Star.

We've heard all winter, from multiple sources, that Bregman represents Plan A for the Red Sox. If Marte wasn't Plan B, he likely was third in the pecking order behind free agent Bo Bichette.

What the Marte news means for the Diamondbacks' pursuit of Bregman remains to be seen, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and others have suggested throughout the process that if Bregman were going to sign in Arizona, the D-backs would have had to clear Marte's money off the books.

Either way, it's time to get serious. If Arizona looms as less of a threat, that might only bring the Toronto Blue Jays and/or Chicago Cubs more into the picture. Even the Detroit Tigers, whose interest in Bregman was characterized as "lukewarm" by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, could become an obstacle if this thing drags out much longer.

Boston is so risk-averse these days that fans and insiders alike have real questions about their appetite for a long-term (i.e. five-year) deal with Bregman. It's time for the Sox to stop playing games and prove to all those doubters that they can still flex their muscles when needed.

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