Where Red Sox Stand In Pursuit Of Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Report

Trading for Arizona Diamondbacks superstar Ketel Marte would go a long way toward earning back some goodwill from the Boston Red Sox fan base.

It's been a surprisingly poisonous week for relations between the Red Sox and the fans, with various members of the team's media ecosphere sometimes catching shrapnel. Missing out on first baseman Pete Alonso, who signed Thursday with the rival Baltimore Orioles, has brought out the ugliest emotions about how Boston's brass conducts business these days.

However, Marte is a bona fide superstar at a position the Red Sox haven't had covered properly since Dustin Pedroia's prime. Any and all updates about how close Boston is to trading for the 32-year-old second baseman should be closely monitored.

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Would Red Sox have to give up Mayer for Marte?

To that end, Chris Cotillo of MassLive provided the latest on Boston and Marte on Friday: still nothing close, lots of other suitors involved, and the possibility of 22-year-old infielder Marcelo Mayer being included in the deal.

"As of Friday, (the Red Sox) — along with many other clubs — remained engaged with Arizona on Marte but nothing was close," wrote Cotillo. "One source described the talks, to this point, as 'exploratory.'

"Arizona is clearly targeting starting pitching in talks for Marte, but also might be intrigued by young infielder Marcelo Mayer, who the Red Sox would be hesitant to give up on. The Red Sox are under the belief there’s a path to a Marte trade that would not include Mayer, but the involvement of other teams will dictate what Arizona ultimately does."

If the Red Sox acquired Marte, but did not re-sign Alex Bregman, Mayer would instantly slot in as the opening-day third baseman. But there would be ample concerns about trusting him to lock that spot down, mostly related to his inability to stay healthy over the past four seasons instead of a lack of belief in his abiliites.

However, if Marte came to Boston and Bregman returned, then Mayer would suddenly be a man without a position, unless the Red Sox very suddenly traded Trevor Story or taught someone to play first base for the first time in their career.

The biggest takeaway is that there's no real evidence the Red Sox are favorites for Marte, and that's worrisome to any optimistic fan putting their eggs in the Marte basket.

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