Insider reports the Mariners’ star slugger could shake up the trade market as talks intensify .MH
The Seattle Mariners’ biggest splash of the offseason feasibly could have been re-signing Josh Naylor, but it’s also possible they had bigger fireworks planned.
With second base and third base still open, the Mariners have roster space to add more marquee talent. The larger question is whether there are any attainable stars the Mariners can fit into the budget, and one emerging trade target is particularly intriguing.
Especially, that is, because the trade target in question began his career with the Mariners before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks before the 2017 season.
Mariners in hunt for Marte, per insider
Ketel Marte, the Diamondbacks’ three-time All-Star second baseman, has been firmly ensconced in trade rumors this week as the winter meetings have progressed in Orlando. The Mariners seem to have entered the conversation, and on Tuesday night, New York Post insider Jon Heyman shared the clearest indication yet that Seattle is involved in the sweepstakes for the 32-year-old slugger.
“Ketel Marte market heating up: (Boston) Red Sox, Mariners, (Toronto Blue) Jays, possibly (Philadelphia) Phillies and (Tampa Bay) Rays. D-Backs seeking big package understandably for superstar 2B,” wrote Heyman.
The most concrete bit of information we had before Tuesday night about the Mariners’ interest in Marte was a report from Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times that reported that the Mariners had “shown interest,” but that it was not known if the clubs had “engaged in serious talks.”
We still cannot definitively conclude that Marte is going to be traded, but the odds of that, no matter what they are, seem to be increasing this week. That the Mariners are known to be involved is significant, even if another team (say, Boston) might have the inside track.
Marte is a potential game-changer, and he has five years left on a very affordable contract with hefty deferrals.
The Mariners can and should offer a hefty prospect package to try and add such an impactful bat to the middle of their order, but there’s also little incentive for the Diamondbacks to trade him unless they feel like they’re getting tremendous value.
