With the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings underway, new information indicates the Toronto Blue Jays have engaged the Arizona Diamondbacks in trade talks to acquire three-time All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.
Blue Jays among teams, along with Red Sox and others, interested in D-Backs superstar Ketel Marte. Talks happening but nothing hot yet.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 8, 2025
Often regarded as one of the best second basemen in baseball, Marte would bring elite defense and a powerful bat to a Blue Jays lineup that went toe-to-toe with the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series.
But Toronto’s interest in Marte could also be signaling a larger shift. Pursuing an All-Star infielder at a premium position could indicate the club is bracing for the possibility of losing free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star who remains unsigned.
Interest in Ketel Marte casts uncertainty over Bichette’s future in Toronto
Marte’s contract with the Diamondbacks runs through the 2031 season at $116 million, and although he is five years older than Bo Bichette, his injury history offers more certainty for Toronto. The Blue Jays’ pursuit of Marte signals a potential shift in how the club might construct its infield going forward, especially as they weigh long-term cost and durability.
Bichette, meanwhile, enters free agency expected to command a contract worth more than $200 million. His situation is complicated by Toronto’s financial picture, organizational depth at shortstop and concerns about his availability throughout a 162-game season.
The 27-year-old suffered a knee sprain late in the regular season that kept him out of the finale and most of the Blue Jays’ playoff run. His return in the World Series reminded fans and the rest of MLB why he is considered one of the sport’s elite shortstops.
In limited at-bats and still dealing with the injury, Bichette hit.348 with eight hits, six RBIs and a timely home run that put Toronto up 3–0 early in Game 7. His bat helped the Blue Jays build early leads against the Dodgers, but his overall health affected his play on the field.
Blue Jays Bo Bichette
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 2, 2025
First 3-Run Home Run in Game 7 of a World Series
since Julian Javier (Cardinals) in 1967 #WANTITALL pic.twitter.com/qIpDwuWCPE
The knee sprain forced him to move cautiously on the bases, often going station to station on balls to the outfield. It also limited his mobility enough that he was used at second base instead of shortstop. Because of those limitations, manager John Schneider often replaced him with a pinch-runner in late innings, which removed his bat from the lineup earlier than preferred.
Injuries have been a recurring issue for Bichette throughout his career, most recently limiting him to 81 games in 2024 because of multiple right calf strains and a fractured middle finger on his throwing hand.
Toronto also has organizational depth at shortstop, with two of its top three prospects at the position. Nineteen-year-old JoJo Parker and 20-year-old Arjun Nimmala are viewed as long-term options, but their youth may not align with the club’s win-now mentality after back-to-back deep postseason runs.
That timeline could push the front office toward retaining Bichette, who is a known asset, a homegrown star and a player the organization trusts on the game’s biggest stage.
Toronto already ranks among the top five MLB teams in payroll and appears positioned to push all in after proving it can compete with the league’s best. With that in mind, the question becomes whether the Blue Jays see a path to acquiring Marte while keeping Bichette, or if the pursuit of immediate contention will ultimately force a choice between the two.