Ketel Marte may go a bit unnoticed playing in the desert for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
But his numbers over the past few seasons compare favorably to Mookie Betts.
And so with Marte's name in trade talks, he's likely to draw a lot of attention.
The one problem is the money. Marte is owed a lot.
"The tough reality for the Diamondbacks and Marte is that it's probably now or never for a trade," wrote Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller on Thursday. "He has been outstanding over the past three seasons, batting.283/.368/.519 with FanGraphs rating his offense, defense and overall WAR since the beginning of 2023 as virtually identical to that of Mookie Betts. No second baseman can hold a candle to what Marte has brought to the table as of late. But we're talking about a 32-year-old middle infielder who is still owed more than $100 million for the next six seasons."
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How is a team supposed to balance Marte's current productivity with what's still to come down the road as he ages and is still costly? It's hard to say.
It likely lowers the trade market considerably to the teams that feel they are true contenders right now and also have deep pockets.
It seems unlikely that the Diamondbacks would trade Marte to the Dodgers, but maybe the Mets can enter into the picture. New York wants to consolidate and could trade multiple talented young players for Marte.
As long as Marte is still in Arizona, his name will keep surfacing in trade rumors.
It just won't be a simple one, given the balance of his age, talent and contract.
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