The Diamondbacks announced a new seven-year contract with star second baseman Ketel Marte. It’s a reported $116.5MM guarantee that comes with $64MM in new money. Marte, who had already been under contract for three seasons, is now signed through 2031. He can opt out of the deal after the 2030 season, when there’ll be at least $11.5MM remaining. There are also $33MM in escalators and performance bonuses for the QC Sports client. Marte receives a five-team no-trade clause, though that’ll become moot when he gets 10-and-5 rights early in the 2026 season.
The contract takes effect this year and breaks down as follows: $14MM in 2025 ($5MM of which is deferred), $15MM in ’26, $12MM in ’27, $20MM in ’28, and $22MMM per season between 2029-30. Each top-three MVP finish would boost the following year’s salary by $3MM; it’d go up by $2MM if he finishes between fourth and seventh in MVP voting. The deal also includes $2.5MM annually from 2026-31 in plate appearance incentives.
The news surely comes as a delight to fans in Arizona. The face of the Diamondbacks franchise first flashed superstar potential back in 2019, when he was an All-Star and finished fourth in NL MVP voting after slashing .329/.389/.592 (150 wRC+) in 144 games. In the years since then, he’s generally been an above-average player but not necessarily a superstar, slashing .275/.347/.462 with a wRC+ of 118 from 2020 to 2023. That narrative changed in 2024, however, as Marte rediscovered his MVP-caliber form during his age-30 season with a phenomenal .292/.372/.560 (151 wRC+) slash line that earned Marte his first career Silver Slugger award, a second All-Star appearance, and a third place finish in MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani and Francisco Lindor.
That’s the sort of elite production that makes for a phenomenal building block, so it’s not exactly a surprise that Arizona brass were interested in extending Marte’s stay with the club and making him a Diamondback for life. The club has often been aggressive about extending its top players under Mike Hazen, with this latest deal for Marte standing as the tenth extension agreed upon since he took over baseball operations in fall of 2016. It’s also the fourth of 2025, joining agreements the club reached with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, reliever Justin Martinez, and right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.
More notably, it’s also the third extension of Marte’s career. His first came back in 2018 when he was a pre-arbitration player. The switch-hitter was guaranteed $24MM by that first deal, which ran through the end of his expected team control window but also afforded the Diamondbacks two option years on what otherwise would’ve been Marte’s first two years of free agency. Marte’s second deal came about just before the 2022 season began, ahead of his final year before those options would’ve kicked in. That deal overwrote those two option years and guaranteed Marte $76MM for the 2023-27 seasons, and also included a club option for 2028.
The second deal ended up covering just two seasons, as it has now already been overwritten to extend Marte’s stay in Arizona through at least 2030, with a player option that could push the deal into 2031. Given the fact that Marte was already under team control through the end of his age-34 season, it’s at least somewhat surprising that the Diamondbacks would decide to commit to their second baseman’s mid-30s this far ahead of time. After all, the club very easily could’ve waited to see how Marte would perform over the next two or three seasons before opening discussions with Marte prior to the 2028 season, when they would likely exercise their club option over his services.
With that being said, the deal not only extends Arizona’s years of control over their star, but also restructures his existing contract. Marte was slated to earn $50.8MM over the next three seasons on his existing contract. That number drops to just $41MM with his new deal, saving the club nearly $10MM over the next three seasons and $5MM in 2025 alone. That also does not factor in the $46MM in deferred money in the deal, which cuts down the amount of money owed to Marte in the short-term even further.
That the Diamondbacks would seek a restructured deal with Marte in order to save a bit of money in the short-term is understandable considering that the team is deep into uncharted financial waters. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the club opened the 2025 season with a payroll of nearly $187MM. That’s an increase of $24MM over 2024, which was already the highest payroll in franchise history by more than $30MM. The club’s aggressiveness this winter in adding Corbin Burnes and swinging a trade for Josh Naylor was certainly admirable, but it’s long appeared likely that the Diamondbacks were likely stretching the limits of owner Ken Kendrick’s comfort zone.
If Arizona is facing the upper limits of its baseball operations budget, that could also explain the club’s reported insistence on suitors for struggling southpaw Jordan Montgomery eating at least $13MM of his $25MM salary for 2025 in trade talks as well as the club falling short in its pursuit of a top-flight closer this winter. Perhaps this restructured deal with Marte will offer them a bit more breathing room to work with at the trade deadline during an important 2025 season. After the current campaign, Montgomery and Naylor are slated to be joined by Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Eugenio Suarez in departing for free agency. That’s a lot of significant players who will need to be re-signed or replaced to avoid a step back in 2026, and it’s possible today’s restructuring of Marte’s deal could help the club fill those upcoming holes as well.
Mike Rodriguez first reported last night that the D-Backs and Marte were working on a new nine-figure contract. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was first on the $116.5MM guarantee, the $46MM in deferrals, the 2031 player option, and the salary structure. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers had the $11.5MM option value and the $149.5MM maximum after escalators. Piecoro had the escalator specifics.
Image courtesy of Imagn Images.
It’s extension season baby!
Going to be a fun game of trivia in five six years when no one has ever heard of all these guys–but theyre still getting paid.
Who do you think is at the top of that list? I like Marte
“when no one has ever heard of all these guys”
These famous baseball players? I think lots of people will still know their names.
weird way of saying youre a casual
Never heard of Ketel Marte in 5 or 6 years? Huh?
Definitely the season of the extension. When I see deals now I try to put them into the perspective of other contracts, particularly the Soto one which obliterated Ohtani’s present-day-value deal of about $465 million to what will be well over $800 million. Adding up the Marte, Crochet, Campbell and Merrill contracts, four excellent young players, doesn’t even make a dent compared to the Soto commitment. To me, that’s the point, as the Soto deal so distorted the market that teams are trying to sign young players at a “reasonable” price.
Where’s my extension?
I’ll extend you
Can you grab me next?
Don’t think they need to replace Suarez externally if Lawlar is healthy. And Pavin could replace Naylor. They need to have money for Gallen. In 2027, Crisantes can play 2B and Marte can DH. With Puk and Martinez, an external closer option seems unnecessary.
Gallen staying with D-backs is a long shot.
It’s a strange extension. Second basemen have one of the worst aging curves in the sport. They already controlled him for up to four more seasons, including 2025, through his age-34 season. This contract extends their control over his age 35 and 36 seasons, and potentially age 37. Why would they do this when all the aging data says this is not a wise decision? Seemingly to save $10MM over the next three seasons, yet they’ve vastly increased what they’ll pay an aging player beyond that. The author says this move will “delight” D’back fans. I’m not so sure.
I agree. It’s a different position, but it feels a bit like the Ryan Howard deal for the Phillies. The had Howard locked in for a few more seasons. They could’ve waited it out and resigned him as a FA. They took too much of the aging risk.
Marte has some nice stats, but he’ll be 35 when his extension starts.
Ryan Howard was a Hall of Fame-caliber player who suffered an injury in the 2011 postseason and was never the same again. Unfortunately, he was never at 100% throughout the entire time his extension covered.
But at the time the Phillies extended him, he had driven in 598 runs in his past four seasons. He held the clean National League home run record with 58 home runs in a season, Giancarlo Stanton now holds it with 59.
I think the extension only looks bad in retrospect because of his injury. It’s not a situation where the player’s talent didn’t merit that extension.
Why do you think 2nd basemen fizzle out? Not good enough glove to be short, not good enough bat to play the corners? A lot that I’ve seen do this are also injury prone.
There’s not many bats at 3B. Marte will be fine.
Nice. Diamondbacks not planning to give up any time soon. Go Hazen!
Great player, and clearly they’re not giving up soon. But what a competitive division the NL West is right now with the top 4 teams at combined 24-3.
These teams are worried about the big spenders that they are willing to risk albatross deals to lock in players for longer terms. Marte will be an ok deal assuming he stays healthy.
When I saw the headline of the article
I thought his game is gonna fall off when he ages and looses his speed. When I saw the terms of the deal I thought that’s a good balance for both player and team. On Marte’s side lock in that payday. On the DBacks side keep him locked in until the wheels fall off. Good deal all around.
Cba expires in 2026. Will be a lock-out and according to recent ownership comments a salary cap is indeed coming. These contracts provide a degree of stability for both player and team. Especially, any player who would be an FA in the next 2, maybe 3, seasons.
What could ownership offer the players to get them to agree to a salary cap? They already have fully guaranteed contracts I don’t see what they’d agree to take to give up a cap.
The players association will never agree to a salary cap.
Doesn’t matter what players want. If all these owners are truly losing $ they will lock players out and won’t play until they get a cap. Have to in order to A survive or B sell team for what they want. Or a non cap option get more revenue sharing. A cap will come with more revenue sharing.
Players almost certainly won’t agree to a cap so they owner’s just wait out their greed. Owners already have $. They can leave team to kids. They can sit out forever. Players can only play so long. They will cave in 6 months year 2 years sooner than later. Longer they wait the worse the new deal will be for them.
If owners are lying about losing $ and are making $ then a deal will be worked out. They want to keep making $.
I get the feeling they aren’t making $. Only some teams. And some are breaking even or smaller profit. NY LA etc are fine and happy. Talking smaller markets who lost half their local tv $.
People live to their means. Millionaire billionaire they live to their means they need income. A lockout benefits no one.
TheGr8One
Agree. It’s best to agree and everyone keep making $. Thats why the always come to agreement lately.
But if some owners are truly losing $ they aren’t going to keep losing $. I don’t think they care if it comes with a cap or not just as long as they can get back to the profits they had last decade.
The 1st battle will be between large and small cities owners. Once they come to agreement they will battle the players.
That’s incorrect. It won’t be about the markets it will be about players capping their earnings. You have to give to get what are you giving the players to cap their earnings?
TheGr8One
You don’t give the players anything. They really really don’t want a cap. Too expensive to make them change their mind if you even could. Do they say the don’t want a cap but willing to listen if we get other things? Or is it a firm NO? If the owners want a cap they have to be willing to lose the entire season at least and maybe two. They have to starve the players out.
I have no idea if it’s coming soon but probably coming sometime. I am sure other players in other sports didn’t want a cap either but they got one. What makes baseball immune from this? Do you think having teams under 100 million and teams over 300 million is sustainable?
Doesn’t have to be a cap. There can be more revenue sharing. Stricter luxury tax. But if they want a cap bad enough there won’t be MLB until they get it.
None of the owners are losing money on their baseball teams.
ourDreamGM
Thats why the always come to agreement lately.
==========================
Until I hear otherwise, this just sounds like the usual barking from both sides. Management and unions in every industry do this.
It’s the ‘this will force us to shut down’ v ‘I can’t afford to put food on the table’ writ large.
I haven’t seen any indication that the owners are set on caps. There are 4 teams over $300M, and maybe 10 teams that are the CBT border.
The owners will scream for a cap, but I think they will settle for some enhancements to the CBT, if even that.
Everyone (owners, players, fans) it is a loose loose situation if they have a lockout.
To have a job. To keep playing. To get paid. Valid reasons for agreeing to a cap on other players, when their contract is already set, once the lockout ends. (To be on the negotiating committee, it seems you need to be one of the highest paid players.)
@Your I’d imagine part of what makes MLB players immune would be MLB’s anti trust exemption.
When MLB negotiates new CBA they likely thoroughly look over any potential contract for anything that could find them in litigation o er their exemption. That exemption is huge for the structure of their business.
There is no salary cap coming.
Several owners have publicly stated a lock-out and cap is coming. These contracts certainly add credence to that direction. Players are eager to agree because we are probably about to lose the 2027 season entirely.
A lock out might be coming. A cap isn’t. Theres zero incentive for the players to agree to a cap.
The incentive for players to agree to cap is do you want to get paid your million millions tens of millions a year or do you want to sit at home? That’s how it would go down.
And if the owners lose a season of revenue well that stinks but who are they going to pass that on to? The players. Longer the players hold out the worse it will be for them.
Fans will mostly support the players. Will say the stupidest things you ever seen like “no one wants to watch the owners play” don’t play the drinking game or you will die everytime you see that.
Don’t let players fool you they don’t care about most the fans. They care about NY LA fans. They don’t care about the fans of teams who can’t financially compete.
Not taking a side. Just telling you how it would go down. I don’t care of they ever play baseball again. Will find another way to spend my time.
NBA NHL NFL all have a cap. To be a sith and say never not happening I dunno. Seems extremely likely it will happen sometime. In 2027 maybe. This century great bet.
Interesting read I just seen. Maybe you guys seen it already. Cap no cap baseball no baseball I don’t care. Will there be one or not no idea. But teams are crying poor. These owners can’t enjoy not making enough. If true rich teams will need to share their $ and even if rich teams agree players will need to approve. Cap or no cap it’s going to be ugly.
Astros owner Jim Crane said there has “got to be some adjustment there” as conversation about a potential MLB salary cap circulates, adding there is “a deal to do that’s good for the players and good for the owners,” according to Matt Kawahara of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Crane said, “With some of the teams that are out there spending the kind of money … some of the teams don’t have the revenue sources. We’re fortunate we’re probably top five or six, we can compete.” When asked if he is in favor of a salary cap, Crane said, “It depends how it works. … Nothing’s really been presented to us to vote on or anything like that. So I think baseball’s working on it and hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement and get it to where it’s more competitive for some of the smaller market teams. Quite frankly, if I was in some of those markets and had those revenue streams, I don’t know if I’d be in baseball, because it makes it difficult to win and we’re here to win”
Yes. Owners are threatening a salary cap for negotiating leverage. Yawn. That’s very different than a salary cap is coming. I’m old enough to remember every lockout and strike, and every owner threat and demand for a salary cap. MLB revenue and franchise valuations exploded AFTER free agency. MLB remains the second-highest revenue generating sport in the world. There’s not a single MLB team that’s losing money, which is why teams like the Rays and the A’s can operate with non-existent attendance. Unless you want to believe the Forbes nonsense that the Yankees lose money. The smaller markets are subsidized by getting equal share of national contracts and revenue sharing generated by the larger markets. A lockout means they screw over their TV and marketing partners. Equally bad, the fallout from a minimum year lockout will hurt attendance in subsequent years. The ‘94 fallout was very bad, and that was only half a season.
Lost revenue. Decreased fan enthusiasm at a time MLB is trying to reach a younger demographic. Delayed expansion and the expected revenue from that.
There is no salary cap coming with the next CBA. Feel free to bookmark this thread.
Teams can operate without losing money. It doesn’t mean they can compete. The discrepancy between the Dodgers payroll, and teams like the Marlins, Rays, and Pirates is ridiculous. They don’t have the revenue stream that the large markets do. As to the TV partners, most teams don’t have a long term partner. Most are hoping the group coming out of bankruptcy will last thru this season, after they accepted a lower rate. The changing factor is that revenue went down. Something needs to change.
With referrals a cap won’t make a difference.
78 iq,
Is your referral to deferrals?
All salaries use NPV for CBT calculations.
Deferrals and their funding are already stipulated in the CBA. The principal has to be funded annually at time of deferral. That is also the amount charged against the cap which is how it should be. The teams ultimately only pay the annual principal out of pocket, the rest of $ is accrued interest and paid by 3rd party where $ is invested.
Referrals?
78 IQ?
The owners may want a salary cap but it won’t happen.
It’ll never happen.
Hank shows me love so have to return it even though I disagree.
If the owners need a cap there will be a cap. There won’t be baseball until the players cave but they will cave.
They’ll say they’ll never agree to a cap but they will be lying. It’s agree to play with cap or get another job. Where else are they going to start off making almost a million a year with ability to make 30 40 50 60 million a year?
The smaller markets just want more $. If the larger markets want to give it without a cap that will work. It will basically be a cap without being called a cap. If Pittsburgh Cleveland is taking more of NY LA money then those teams can spend as much. They are capped.
So fight won’t be only owners vs players but owners vs owners.
Players don’t have much power. If owners need a cap they will get it. Only reason there isn’t one already because it’s easier to agree and make $ as soon as possible vs waiting for the players to cave. But if the owners have to have that cap they will wait them out.
Owners lost a ton of $. They want it back. Only way to get it back is to take it from LA BOS PHI NY Who wants to share their money? Looking to be messy.
Local tv revenue sharing may change. Revenue sharing may change. Luxury tax may change. There doesn’t have to be cap. Just something that gets the bottom feeders more $.
I don’t think there will be a cap unless teams really want it. I think they just want more revenue sharing which doesn’t need a cap to accomplish. But if they were hell bent on a cap then there will 100 percent be a cap. Owners have all the power.
2025 age 31 season
2026 age 32 season
2027 age 33 season
2028 age 34 season.
Adding more years is a bit risky.
As long as the Dbacks have money for Caroll’s eventual extension and draft some pitching it’s all good
Carroll is already on a lucrative extension.
TBF, pretty much any problem a team has can be resolved by being able to draft good pitching.
The Mariners are on the line for you.
Yo Vegas…you watched the Pirates recently? I won’t argue since you said “pretty much” and not “all.” Haha.
I mean, if you just *keep* all the pitchers and don’t use them to plug your other holes, then that’s on you. Doesn’t mean drafting good pitching couldn’t have solved your problem.
Yeah, not sure I get this one. They already had him for:
2025 – $16.6 million
2026 – $16.6 million
2027 – $14.6 million
2028 – $13 million
Not sure why they added some new money just to get his age 36, 37, and 38 seasons. It’s not a ton of extra money given the deferments but still.
The Dbacks have no legacy players really, and no culture around the team in AZ. Marte is the first player since Goldschmidt who could be a “forever player”, which the team kinda needs. Goldschmidt could and should have been that guy but they traded him away, unfortunately.
Wagner
Dbacks have two players in the Dbacks Hall of Fame—Randy Johnson and Luis Gonzalez. I’d call them Legacy players. So, you’re right they don’t have a lot of Legacy players because they are a young franchise, but I don’t think it’s fair to say they have none.
Why? He was already on a team friendly deal through his prime years. They’re just paying for his inevitable regression.
Yeah, agreed. He was already signed for two more years through age 33. Why add any years to that?
He is one of my favorite players to watch.
@yellow cleats. I just don’t think teams want to pay ohtani or Soto deals anymore. It’s a risk on both sides, but your also not paying a player til ages 40-41. It’s about the same way either because they can get a decent second contract, and it covers the injury risk.
The Soto deal was this past offseason, Ohtani the winter before. Not sure what your definition of “anymore,” but a few months doesn’t seem like a sufficient length of time to start using that word.
Rexhudler has proven time and time again he’s not exactly the brightest baseball mind. One of those types who thinks he’s smarter than he really is.
Watch him respond to this with some bitter comeback
@choof. Nope. but most of the big market teams are capped out unless your the dodgers or mets
@gbs42. Anymore is because who going to spend, and yes the market has been slow, the last two years besides the big market teams. It goes in cycles, and it’s looks like 35 is the age cap again.
@Rex Multiple teams were trying to sign Ohtani, Bregman, Soto, etc. Teams like KC and TB have signed young players to 9 figure extensions. Even OAK has locked gor in on extensions.
Plenty of teams have spent $ and plenty ty of teams offered contracts attempting to spend even more.
@tigers3232. I’m not sure about bregman. Simply said teams are trying to tie up players early or like the dbacks they moved money around it’s really middle loaded. I think the big deals are done. I said 35 because I thought marte was thirty. It’s looking like that’s going to be case probably until Vladdy jr, but who’s going to spend money on him. oakland’s press conference room is a tough shed look it up. They only spent money to get in the revenue sharing pool again. Most of the big market teams are maxed.
Bregman, Soto, Burnes, Snell, to name a few all got large deals last offseason. Teams are still going to spend. And yes when possible they will lock up young talent early, point is they spend on talent.
As for Marte it looks pretty clear they free’d up some capital currently and in return paid him for longer. Seems like a win win for team and player.
@tigers3232. Ok yes teams will go for the top free agents, but its cooling off mostly been the dodgers/mets/ Yankees.i don’t see the dodgers deferring any more money. Most of the other teams have a number they don’t want to go over. That’s leaves the teams that don’t spend available. The price is getting driven down. Like I said it’s going back to 35 yr on the contract.
SF, TOR, DET, BOS, HOU all tried at some or multiple of those players. Starting pitchers are commanding crazy $. The only thing that has changed is not many teams willing to pay a premium for one dimensional power types or most 1B.
Tigers,
It’s like talking to a brick wall…
@gbs42. It’s my opinion on a opinion based comment section. I could be wrong or I could be right. Anger is the enemy. Plus I like the like bon jovi song. Hey teacher leave those kids alone. Why does it feel like I’m talking to a brick in the wall
You got me because Houston let bregman and traded tucker because they don’t sign big deals. Also let springer go, and pence for the same reasons. Toronto doesn’t want to commit big money to vladdy Jr. Maybe Boston will but it’s looking like a trend. Detroit maybe signing free agents but not big deals.
Sorry I just disagree with it and it seems history does as well.
TOR has already offered Vlad a few significant deals, they also offered large deals to a few other big name players. DET offered a huge deal to Bregman. These things happened.
Rex,
As Tigers pointed out, your opinions are being contradicted by facts. Teams are signing players to big contracts. Toronto has offered $400M-$450M for Vlad Jr.
@tigers3232. Thats more of a pr stunt if you ask me. But whatever. We will never know what the offer was. Bregman waited because he had no offers besides the red Sox, boras will leak teams were interested when they called and hung up. Back to the point the big market teams spent already. I believe offers were made like arson judge to the giants or ohtani flying on a private jet to Toronto. History says it’s leaks not facts
@gbs giants signed arson judge. Did I find bita burner accounts.
He said “offers were made”. As we know a player can only sign with one team at a time. The point he and I are both getting at is the teams you claim are unwillingly to spend have in fact tried to sign player to huge $ deals.
@tigers3232. Im sure 5 teams offered him 10 million a year, my point is the big spenders are capped out. The market will crash and it’s been slowing down the last two years. Thats a trend. I didn’t shake my magic 8 ball to find that out. Is it weird you both respond 5 minutes apart everytime probably not. My point originally was it’s going back to 35 shoot maybe 37, but no more 40-41 age deals. Ohtani landed in Toronto with a deal and signed a deal with magic ink. It’s easy to sniff it out. Just like the trolls.
sports.yahoo.com/article/alex-bregman-tigers-free-….
6 yrs $171 million
si.com/mlb/red-sox/boston-red-sox-news/alex-bregma…
6 yrs $156 million
Others probably had a point that Dodgers were tapped out after Ohtani, Snell, or so on. That limit kept going further. So yes it may seem that way but that does not make any where near a certainty.
As for the teams who missed out many issued very competitive offers. So they by all .means were willing to spend big $.
I added links to validate a few of these offers.
That’s hilarious that you try and insinuate gbs and I are the same person. I’ve seen comments from gbs for quite sometime on here. If i go through past articles it’s pretty easy to establish we re different people. Way to get out the tinfoil tho….
@tigers3232. That’s smoke. Whatever I tap out. You won. I will remember your name in free agency. Agent’s leak false narratives. Padres were going to trade the whole team away as well.
Some day they’ll change the site name and content to MLB Only Facts. Until then, I’ll enjoy the mix of speculation and signings.
Of course, it seems there won’t be any more big signings again ever, so maybe this site’s days are numbered.
@gbs ok so your blasting me for speculation. It’s my opinion doesn’t need 3 burner accounts and 30 comments. Why did you suddenly comment within 3 minutes apart probably 2.
@Rax Tigers GM was even interviewed about the offer. I can provide a link to that as well if you’d like.
Only reason I’m offering such is the condescending response where you still try and insinuate that the contract offers were not reality.
It’s not about winning and losing. Nor is there anything to be ashamed of being wrong, we all are at times.
I’m commenting here at 10:19PM, I have one single account.
You were blasted by multiple people because your speculation was false. That can and has been backed by facts. Sorry you don’t loke that. We all have every right to an opinion that does not mean they are correct. And under no means do opinions change facts or reality.
Do you have self esteem issues or something? Multiple times I ve tried to be kind while presenting fact. I don’t know if u have some sort of pride issues with being wrong.
It’s pretty funny that u think anyone would go to the extent of using burner accounts over u being wrong. I don’t think your opinion means that much….
As for the 30 comments, that was fueled by u being condescending. Could ve easily been avoided by u…
“It’s a risk on both sides, but your also not paying a player til ages 40-41.”
I mean, they’re paying Marte now until he’s almost 39. Not much difference.
@rct. 36 with a club option. Unless further details came out.
You get an extension! And you get an extension! And YOU get an extension!
This is gbs42, not Tigers3232, posting several hours apart.
What?
Another extension!
All this in-season action is very good for baseball
Man, 4 big extensions in about a day or so, kinda nutty
Somebody get me a doctor! The extension bug is going around.
This is actually #4 for AZ recently: Perdomo, Martinez, Pfaadt (article forgot him), now Marte.
Where is Gabriel Montero’s extension he is a very important now and the future.
To be fair, I missed the Pfaadt extension.
Wait deferred?!?!? I thought every owner outside of LA was going to revolt and cause a lockout because they forgot how to do this.
Kendrick must have been privately assured by the politicos that they will get to fleece taxpayers and feed at the public money trough for the stadium renovations.
That legislation is not a done deal, you have the mayor of Phoenix, and the Maricopa County Board that owns the ballpark not happy with the Stadium Tax referendum. Now they say it may be stuck in the state senate and not done before the recess. Which means with the D’Backs lease ending in 2027 there is a possibility that the D’Backs may look to move out of AZ. Could be Kendrick is building up the roster extensions not only for this year but for another city who might want the D’Backs.
You have the player through age 34 but just had to sign him through age 37 and for another $64m?
Not smart. Did AZ really think there would be a bidding war at $22m-plus on a 4-plus year contract for Marte going into his age 35 season?
Will he have a better career than Robinson Cano?
Pretty good comp and question. Cano ended at 68.7 career WAR and I figure Ketel will end up around 60.0-70.0. As we know, WAR doesn’t tell the whole story, but Cano’s lifetime 124 OPS+ is pretty close to Ketel’s current 119. If last year was a beacon, then Ketel can probably pass Cano’s numbers all around. If he gets 1500 hits the next 10 years, then I’d say Ketel came out on top. Cano will probably end up with just the better batting average (.301 career vs. .280 for Marte).
Ketel had an MVP level season and he continuously has a fantastic season. Dbacks are spending on the homegrown talent and making sure they can keep competing very nice!
He was raised by the Mariners organization from A to AAA and then 2 years in the show. My Ms should never have let him go! (We also have up Taijuan Walker in the trade for Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger.)
Excellent.
Think Moreno is next?
Dbacks spending money like it’s Brewsters Millions. You love to see it.
Good stuff, Snakes! Cheers
Dbacks have 3rd base locked up after Geno hits free agency again. Move Perdomo to 2nd and bring up Lawler at SS. If he keep hitting, seems like a good long-term move.
Marte to 3B? Why?
Not right away, but he’s bound to slow down in his mid 30s.
PNW
Marte is NOT moving to 3b, he is moving to DH.
Perdomo is NOT moving to 2b, he’s staying at SS.
Lawler is NOT slotting in at SS, he is getting AAA reps at 2b and 3b.
The Dbacks have other young infielder prospects to fill the other positions: including Demetrio Crisantes, Blaze Alexander, LaBron Groover, AJ Vukovich, Ivan Melendez, etc.
It’s LuJames Groover (originally signed under Gino), Vukovich is pretty much a full-time OF at this point, and Melendez’s glove at 3B is still incredibly suspect.
I realized that it’s covered in the etc, but some more interesting IF names are Cristofer Torin, Jansel Luis, Anderdson Rojas, and J.D. Dix, but they’re all much further out (which is less of a concern for the DBacks, because so much of their core is locked up).
The jury still isn’t out completely on Tommy Troy, either. And that’s just most of the “SS-capable” players. There are a few that could still profile at 3B.
And the orioles continue to sit on their hands with their young guys.
Every time I hear Ketel Marte’s name, I want to chew out Jerry Dip-oto. Bad-Trader Jerry!
Another good one that we gave away.
-M’s
Mariners got Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger, and (if I remember correctly) Zac Curtis in the deal; Seattle didn’t just give Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker away.
Much deserved, he’s a really solid and largely underrated player
If only we would have kept him. I bet you Dipoto is kicking himself for that blunder.
He’s happy as long as he wins 54 percent of his trades.
Why? The real story is that they’ve already admitted they can’t sustain this payroll, and by 2026, this contract will be a roadblock rather than an asset.
Don’t know what to think of this one. $ is ok. He getting old though. Already have him for 3 years. Extension on extension. He’s a star there. Good to have stars. Retire with team. Good bet to age well. It’s a contract I can live with but won’t be celebrating it like the Merrill extension.
David stearns Mets president has the right idea ; avoid long term contracts on starters but ok to pay contact oriented position players
I am a little surprised a player on the wrong side of thirty got an extension this long. I just feel like it is a risky bet especially on the back half. The Dbacks aren’t the Dodgers haha 😂 I like his original deal of three years. That seems palatable. I’m leery giving an aging player franchise money over that many years. He’s a great player for sure, but it is with anyone.
So let me get this straight. They already had him signed for 3 more years (including this one) until his age 33 season. So now that he’s coming off a career year, they’ve extended him until his age 37 season with even higher yearly salaries for the last three of those four additional years?
That’s very risky! They should’ve waited a couple of years first to see how quickly he might decline. It would be very unlikely that his value jumps even higher over the next couple of years.
Well deserved and it is a great value for the team’s leader who is only getting better and more clutch, and it is obvious he wants the big stage and a championship. Now I can buy my Marte jersey, knowing he’ll be in the Dback HOF.