Following their magical run to a National League pennant in 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks have missed the postseason by the slimmest of margins in each of the last two seasons. As they try their best to remain relevant in the loaded National League West, the snakes have been a bit uncharacteristic with their spending habits compared to previous eras.
They acquired Corbin Burnes prior to the 2025 season, signing him to the largest contract in Diamondbacks history at $210 million across six years. Burnes, Zack Greinke ($206.5 million), and Corbin Carroll ($111 million) are the only players to have signed six-figure deals with Arizona, but they now presumably are in the running to add a fourth to the list.
It was recently reported by Bob Nightengale on X that “The Arizona Diamondbacks have become a surprise entrant in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes.”
Diamondbacks' attempt to sign Alex Bregman may reveal truth about Ketel Marte
Burnes and Bregman’s situations a year apart are oddly similar, and Arizona once again has the chance to poach a star coming off of an impressive one year stint in the American League East. Both players are one of the best in their respective roles and also have ties to the region as well. In fact, a big part of Burnes' decision in choosing the Diamondbacks in free agency was him wanting to be closer to his family in Arizona. Originally from New Mexico, there might be some incentive for Bregman to return to the area he grew up in as well.
With Ketel Marte rumored as one of the best players currently available via trade, the Diamondbacks pursuit of Alex Bregman might not make sense at first. Moving Marte seems like it could be the front office looking to shed payroll. Bregman is likely to command close to $200 million on a six to seven year deal which would defeat the purpose of shedding Marte’s contract given both players provide similar value on the field.
However, Marte is actually quite inexpensive given the production he provides compared to the $19.4 million he makes on an annual basis. On top of that, the intention of shopping Marte has seemingly been to add pitching depth at the big league level. Marte can certainly yield a solid return in that department, and it makes even more sense if the Diamondbacks are in fact looking to replace him with a high level talent like Bregman.
There are still a number of pitchers on the trade market that the Diamondbacks could land in a Ketel Marte trade. Pitchers such as Mackenzie Gore, Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara, and Hunter Greene among others continue to float around in trade discussions. Arizona has also been linked to both Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz in a Marte trade with the Tampa Bay Rays who have emerged as potential favorites to land Marte if the Diamondbacks do in fact part ways with him.
Bregman also provides some more defensive versatility than Marte with his ability to move over to second base if needed. The Diamondbacks have been trying to get Jordan Lawlar more playing time, and he now has it headed into 2026 as the roster is currently constructed. With a trade for Marte, either Lawlar or Bregman can play second base while the other sticks at third base.
Acquiring Alex Bregman via free agency and trading Ketel Marte might put the Diamondbacks in a better position to compete for a playoff spot in 2026. Trading Marte can improve an area of need while Bregman can fill the large hole in the lineup that Marte would leave while providing some more flexibility to the roster.