Latest Red Sox-Ketel Marte Mock Trade Shows Boston's Uncomfortable Reality

Arizona isn't going to take pennies on the dollar...

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

If the Boston Red Sox are going to trade for Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte, the cost is likely to make fans' jaws drop.

Marte is the No. 1 player at his position, still has prime years left at age 32, and is under team control for the next five years at a very reasonable price. The only reasons the Diamondbacks even seem to be considering moving him are the friction he's caused in the clubhouse at times and the fact that he'll earn a full no-trade clause just days into the regular season.

All the while, the Diamondbacks are sniffing around Alex Bregman, which could further activate the Red Sox's fight-or-flight instincts. If those instincts lead them to push harder for Marte instead of Bregman, what kind of haul are they going to have to surrender?

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Marte trade package: too much or just right?

On Friday, Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey came up with a mock trade that seems quite realistic, but should show Red Sox fans the gravity of how much talent the Red Sox truly would have to give up to land the best second baseman Boston would have seen since Dustin Pedroia.

"(Arizona is) not going to trade an MVP-caliber player with six more seasons of club control for nothing," wrote Dorsey. "To make this trade, the Red Sox will have to give up a haul, moving top prospects Payton Tolle and Franklin Arías and former top prospect Kristian Campbell, who still has major upside.

"While Arias is about a year away from the big leagues, Tolle could slot right into Arizona’s rotation, and Campbell can take Marte’s vacant spot at second base and stay there after moving around in Boston. ... This trade would help the Red Sox significantly."

Tolle and Campbell would be a lot to stomach already, then adding Arias in as a possible future Gold Glover takes the package to a whole new level. But this is also the type of haul Arizona is presently holding out for.

Adding to the drama for Boston, if the D-backs don't get a haul like this in the next couple of weeks, the Diamondbacks might well take Marte off the table. Maybe they'll even sign Bregman on top of Marte, depending on how frisky owner Ken Kendrick is feeling this winter.

More MLB: Red Sox Predicted To 'Ghost' Alex Bregman, Allow NL Contender To Swoop In