D-BACKS LOCK IN STAR MARTE
While Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen was talking through his roster in the offseason, a stray remark stuck with him. “We don’t need fewer Ketel Martes,” someone told him. “We need more Ketel Martes.”
“And I believe that,” Hazen said. On Tuesday morning, the Diamondbacks formally announced their latest contract extension with second baseman Ketel Marte, a fiveyear, $76 million commitment that runs through 2027 with a club option for 2028.
Hazen described the deal as a notable step in the organization’s trek toward building a winning core of players. He framed it as the sort of inverse to some of the deals he has made in the past, including when he traded away first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and right-hander Zack Greinke.
Rather than moving Marte — something he likely could have done at multiple points over the past several seasons — Hazen and the Diamondbacks will be building around him.
“We need to anchor around guys,” Hazen said. “I have made some trades where we’ve moved some of our better players out of here. It’s not necessarily things that I look back on and celebrate in a lot of ways. … We need to make some commitments here, both for the guys that are in this clubhouse now and the guys are going to be coming into this clubhouse in the next couple of years. We felt like this was the right time.”
Marte’s value is easy to recognize. He has been one of baseball’s better hitters since the start of the 2019 season. A switch-hitter with power and versatility, he hit .317/.377/.532 in 374 plate appearances.
Marte, 28, did not offer much explanation for why he felt the time was right for him to seek an extension.
His previous contract, signed in March 2018, included a pair of team options for 2023 and 2024 for a total of $22 million. Had he played it out, he would have earned $46 million over the life of the deal with a chance to score another big contract as a free agent at age 31.
Instead, he assured himself another $51 million — certainly no small sum, but an amount that looks like a potential bargain for the Diamondbacks. The deal also includes a $13 million option for the Diamondbacks in 2028.
“This is a special moment for me,” Marte said, speaking through interpreter Alex Arpiza.
“The organization knows what they have in me. It’s something that I’ll take with me even after I retire, that confidence they have in me. … I always wanted to be here.”
A source familiar with Marte’s thinking said he wanted the security of a longterm commitment, particularly after dealing with multiple injuries last season. If the option is picked up, Marte’s career earnings will be in the neighborhood of $110 million.
Marte will earn $11 million in 2023, $13 million in 2024, $16 million in 2025 and 2026, and $14 million in 2027.
He has the potential to earn more based on plate appearances and where he finishes in the most valuable player award voting.
He received a $3 million signing bonus and will receive a $3 million buyout if the 2028 option is declined.
The Diamondbacks have a well-regarded wave of young players moving through their system, many of whom are likely to impact the major league club this season, including shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, outfielder Alek Thomas, slugger Seth Beer and along with a crop of pitching prospects.
“It’s extremely important that we continue to move down the field, move the ball forward with the guys that are coming up at the upper parts of our minor league (system), the guys that are in our clubhouse right now that have more to grow,” Hazen said. “Those are the things we’re pushing towards.
“This is a step. I’m not going to say it’s the first step. I feel like we’ve already taken some first steps. This is a step in that process. …
“Nothing in baseball is a one-man show. Game 7 of a World Series and a Number 1 starting pitcher, sure, it could be a one-man show in that regard. But for a 162-game baseball season, the way we’re going to need to be constructed, it can’t be that. That can’t be the only thing that we do that we’re successful at. That’s what we’re committed to.”