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BALTIMORE — Ketel Marte trade rumors are heating up again as the Hot Oven season is in full effect. Would the D-backs be open to moving the 33-year-old second baseman?
If so, it looks like the Orioles could be among the potential suitors.
A source told MLB.com Saturday evening that the D-backs were in talks about Marte, though no deal was imminent at the time. No club has confirmed the discussions.
A natural fit for Marte on Baltimore’s roster wouldn’t be immediate. In fact, the Orioles’ outfield landscape is so tight that president of baseball operations Mike Elias said earlier this week at the General Managers Meeting in Las Vegas that the club is talking to some infielders about potentially starting work this offseason and into Spring Training.
But the O’s have shown they are willing to acquire a top player and then rebuild their roster around that star. They didn’t need a first baseman last offseason, but still signed Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal (a move that has worked out pretty well so far).
Marte is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner who spent the last 10 seasons with Arizona after playing for Seattle the first two years of his MLB career. He is a .277 hitter with 301 doubles, 46 triples, 193 home runs, 663 RBI and an .815 OPS in 1,371 big league games.
While Marte wasn’t as productive in 2026, he had a solid season, hitting .249 with 31 doubles, three triples, 22 homers, 76 RBIs and a .748 OPS in 141 games.
“I just have to be open to making adjustments to what the roster looks like,” D-backs GM Mike Hazen told reporters at the General Managers Meetings earlier this week.
Marte is 10-and-5 eligible (10 years of MLB tenure, with the last five consecutive years with the same team), so he can veto any proposed trade scenario.
Any team would need a big offer to acquire Marten, although he still has four guaranteed seasons on the six-year, $116.5 million extension he signed with Arizona in 2025. He also has an $11.5 million player option for the 2031 season.
The Orioles have shown a willingness to spend big since private equity billionaire David Rubenstein and his ownership group purchased the team in March 2024. That way, they’ll be able to negotiate a bigger deal if they want to do so.
Baltimore also has a lot of trading chips. Its farm system is reloaded with high-end prospects, and the club may even be open to moving any player on the big league roster other than Alonso.
Marte has experience in center field, but he has spent most of his career at second base. Jackson Holliday has been the O’s second baseman the past two seasons and would be the favorite to start there if the roster stays as it is.
The Orioles also have Jordan Westburg and Blaze Alexander capable of hitting second and third, while Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand command the majority of the reps at the hot corner in 2026. That’s a crowded roster even before you add someone like Marte.
Of course, these discussions between the O and D-backs may not result in a trade. But it’s clear that Baltimore is exploring opportunities to improve its roster for 2027 after the team missed the postseason each of the last two years.