It certainly sounds like the Ketel Marte sweepstakes will shortly come to an end, one way or another.
Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen spoke about Marte on Tuesday and made it sound like a trade is not going to happen despite all of the rumors around him, including rumors swirling around about the Boston Red Sox.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Hazen said. “But this isn’t going to continue to linger. We need to focus our offseason. Again, my gut this whole time was that (a Ketel Marte trade) 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.”
Will the Red Sox land the slugger?
Marte has been connected to the Red Sox since the winter meetings with the Red Sox in search of another big bat to help out in the infield. Marte, a three-time All-Star with back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards under his belt, would surely fit a Red Sox lineup in search of more pop, but Hazen’s comments weren’t optimistic for a trade. On top of this, Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix’s John Gambadoro reported that at least five teams are interested in Marte but the team is close to ending negotiations.
“There is still significant interest from 5 teams in trading for Ketel Marte with a few other teams that continue to check in,” Gambadoro wrote. “So, no change there. While Arizona has not set a deadline for when negotiations will halt, they are moving closer to doing just that.
On top of this, Gambadoro shared on X that there isn’t a scenario in which he could see the Diamondbacks keeping Marte and signing Alex Bregman.
“I do not see a scenario in which they can keep Marte and sign Bregman,” Gambadoro wrote.
This is an intriguing update for two reasons. Boston has been one of the most prominent teams linked to Marte. It sounds like the bidding is going to end in the near future. Whether that means a trade or not, it sounds like an answer is coming at least. And then, Gambadoro, noting that Arizona is unlikely to keep Marte and sign Bregman could at least be considered a positive sign in the market for the former Boston All-Star.
More MLB: Red Sox Face ‘Sleeping Giant’ Threat In Alex Bregman Sweepstakes
