Red Sox Insider Cracks Door On Ketel Marte Trade With Steep Price

The addition of Ranger Suárez to the Boston Red Sox's starting rotation raises some very intriguing possibilities.

Before signing Suárez, the Red Sox's rotation was very good on paper. It looked like: Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Johan Oviedo, and then someone like Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Payton Tolle, or Connelly Early. On paper, that starting five would be able to compete with anyone. Now, the Red Sox add a clear-cut No. 2 starter into the mix behind Crochet. His addition makes pitching expendable seeing as the team has four guys (Crawford, Sandoval, Tolle, and Early) who all very well could help Boston or another team in 2026, but without a clear path to innings.

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Early and Tolle easily could develop more down in the minors -- or one of them could be included in a trade package. Crawford and Sandoval both could also be legit trade chips. For teams looking for pitching. Imagine if Boston paired one or two of these arms with someone like two-time Gold Glove winner Wilyer Abreu or All-Star Jarren Duran? The guy who would be a perfect fit is Ketel Marte, who Boston was connected to before the Arizona Diamondbacks reportedly took him off the board. On Wednesday, USA Today's Bob Nightengale brought up the idea of a Marte deal. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey also brought him up.

The Red Sox need to work the phones

"Similar to (Brayan Bello), trading Duran would bring the Red Sox under the $264 million second tier. Abreu ($780,000) and Rafaela ($2.25 million) are also trade possibilities, but given that both are under team control for longer, the Red Sox would likely prefer to keep both," McCaffrey wrote. "The Red Sox could put together an enticing package if they are willing to deal from their outfield, as well as a starter from their bulked-up rotation. So, if the Red Sox pursue a bat via trade, who might they target?

"Rosenthal reported last week that the Arizona Diamondbacks have taken second baseman Ketel Marte off the table. And while that still may be the case, it may not stop the Red Sox from circling back and offering Arizona Tolle or Early and Duran or Rafaela to reignite conversations. Marte, a right-handed bat, posts solid defense with a 1 Outs Above Average while hitting for power with an .893 OPS and 28 home runs last year. He’s under contract through 2030 and making $15 million in 2026. If the Red Sox acquired Marte for second base, it seems likely Marcelo Mayer would have the upper hand on the third-base job."

MassLive.com's Sean McAdam also floated the idea of pairing an outfielder with Tolle or Early to try to get the conversation going while noting the Diamondbacks have "coveted" Jarren Duran.

Marte is a legit star and would provide the pop lost by Alex Bregman and fill second base. The Red Sox could then turn to Marcelo Mayer at third base and roll into 2026 with a balanced and high-octane offense.

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