Red Sox Get Clarity On Resurfaced Ketel Marte Trade Buzz

It's been quite a stretch for Boston Red Sox fans. On the negative side, the organization missed out on third baseman Alex Bregman, who left to join the Chicago Cubs. On the positive side, the Red Sox responded by signing Ranger Suárez to a five-year deal.

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It's been an offseason of peaks and valleys for the Red Sox, but the team overall is trending in the right direction. Losing Bregman hurts, but the rotation is now in a significantly better place than it was. The Red Sox lost Bregman's bat, but added Willson Contreras, who should be able to minimize the loss. If the Red Sox can add one more infielder with a bit of pop, the team will really be in business.

Since the Red Sox landed Suárez, there has been chatter out there about the possibility of getting the Arizona Diamondbacks back on the phone in reference to All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte. Unfortunately, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe threw cold water on the idea on Friday.

The Red Sox need one more bat

"In theory, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte could make a fascinating fit for the Sox given that, like Bregman, he has a demonstrated ability to upgrade a team’s offense and defense, and because he’s signed to a long-term deal that would come as a relative bargain of $15 million per year for luxury tax purposes," Speier wrote. "However, after fielding trade offers on Marte over the past two months — including from the Red Sox — Arizona GM Mike Hazen said days before Bregman’s decision last week that he was no longer entertaining trade discussions about his star second baseman.

"While there’s been speculation the Sox could circle back and sweeten their offer to the Diamondbacks now that they’ve whiffed on Bregman, one major league source familiar with Arizona’s stance characterized the door to a trade as 'firmly shut' — with Arizona committed to rounding out their roster with Marte as a lineup anchor."

That's the nature of the MLB offseason. Boston had multiple irons in the fire and was pursuing Bregman with Marte more in the background.

The Diamondbacks pulled Marte off the market and acquired Nolan Arenado and Bregman made his decision to join the Cubs. Now, Bregman is gone, and Marte isn't available.

More MLB: Alex Bregman Opens Up After Choosing Cubs Over Red Sox