Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks are heading toward a divorce. The signs have been there for a while.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Sunday that Marte continues to frustrate parts of the Diamondbacks organization by opting to take days off this season. The most recent example was last week, when Marte sat out a game against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That last detail is the one that probably set people off internally. Ohtani is a circus. The crowd shows up to see Ohtani. The ratings spike for Ohtani. A team’s best position player taking a personal day in the middle of an Ohtani start is the kind of choice that makes a front office wonder what is really going on.
Marte has played in 61 of a possible 65 games this season, which on paper is not that bad. But context matters. He has been a divisive figure in the Arizona clubhouse since last season, when he took multiple days off following a burglary at his home. He later apologized for the time away, which was reported to have caused frustration among teammates.
The Diamondbacks tried to do something about it. Arizona reportedly attempted to trade Marte during the offseason before pulling him off the market. Now, with Marte not hitting like the three-time All-Star Arizona is paying for, the conversation is back on the table.
The bat is the other problem. Marte is hitting .250 with a .754 OPS, 11 home runs, and 37 RBIs through his 61 games. Those are fine numbers for a utility infielder. Those are not fine numbers for a guy signed to a long-term extension who is supposed to anchor the middle of your lineup. The Diamondbacks need him to be a star. He has been a competent everyday player at best.
The contract structure makes any move complicated. Marte is signed through the 2030 season with a player option for 2031. That is a lot of money to move, and Arizona would almost certainly have to eat some of it to make a trade work. Other teams will want to see what the medical reports look like and whether the days off were really injury-related or just personal preference.
Here is the harder question. At 32, does Marte still have his best baseball ahead of him? He had a monster 2024 with 33 home runs and an .872 OPS. He had a really good 2023 too. He was a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner heading into this season. The bat skill was real.
But the 2026 numbers and the days off are telling a different story. Maybe his body is starting to break down. Maybe his head is not in it. Maybe the relationship with the organization has soured so much that he wants out as badly as they want him out. Probably some combination of all three.
The Diamondbacks have other things to figure out this season. They are around .500 and looking up at the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the NL West standings. They have rotation injuries. They have bullpen issues. They have a manager in Torey Lovullo who has reportedly been frustrated all year. Marte’s situation is just one of several problems for a team that thought it was going to contend.
The best path for everyone might be a trade to a contender that needs a middle infielder and a change of scenery for Marte. The New York Yankees come to mind given the Aaron Judge injury situation. The Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored to be looking for help at second base. Even the Seattle Mariners could use a bat.
None of those teams are going to pay full price. The Diamondbacks know it. Marte probably knows it too.
This relationship is not getting fixed. The longer Arizona waits to admit that, the less they will get back when they finally make the call.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
