Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said Tuesday that while a trade of All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte remains unlikely, a resolution is expected “shortly.”
“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Hazen told MLB.com, referring to an exact time frame on a resolution. “But this isn’t going to continue to linger. We need to focus our offseason. 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.”
Marte has been linked to a number of teams this offseason, and a potential deal would allow Arizona to address a stated area of need: starting pitching. Marte, 32, is a three-time All-Star and a career .281 hitter who has hit at least 25 home runs for three years running.
He also has an economical contract — five years and $91 million plus a sixth-year player option at $11.5 million remaining — making him especially attractive to potential suitors.
Hazen told MLB.com that while there had been progress on talks for Marte with other teams, nothing has gotten close to what the Diamondbacks are seeking. The GM added that he has told teams that talks will break off soon.
“We’re going to need to start focusing on our position-player group at some point a little more specifically,” Hazen told the website. “That’s the other reason to finalize what we’re doing with other players, so we have a little more direction on what we can do and what it might look like.”