D-backs GM's remarks shouldn't deter Royals from pursuing Ketel Marte this winter

The Kansas City Royals need to search for an upgrade at second base this offseason is well documented after the duo of Jonathan India and Michael Massey underwhelmed mightily overall in 2025.

Several insiders and analysts have given their two cents on who the Royals should look to bring in at second base this winter, but now it seems their dream target could be on the trade block.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale this week, the Arizona Diamondbacks could consider trading their star second baseman Ketel Marte this offseason.

"The Diamondbacks will ask for a lot in return, but they are definitely motivated in moving [Marte]," Nightengale wrote.

Now, since that report, Arizona's GM Mike Hazen has seemed to pour some cold water on the availability of his All-Star infielder.

"We get asked about all of our best players...teams call us all the time and ask about those guys and a lot of times their like 'hey, I know you probably won't talk about it, but we want to express interest'," Hazen told MLB Network's Jon Morosi on Tuesday.

"That's what's happened so far this offseason, it's happened every year since we've had [Marte] and all the other good players we have," Hazen said.

"Its mostly unlikely for that stuff to happen," he said.

Still, while rumors have to be taken with a grain of salt sometimes, they often don't come from nothing, and when you consider the fact the D-backs have missed the postseason the past two years, perhaps a bit of retool could be in order in the desert.

And if that's the case, the Royals should certainly consider making a move for the All-Star.

Ketel Marte would be the Royals' dream second baseman

On paper, anyone can see how Marte would be a desirable add to any major league roster. Simply put he's arguably been the best second baseman in baseball in recent years.

In 2025, Marte made 556 plate appearances, slashing .283/.376/.517 with 28 HR, 72 RBI and a 145 wRC+ while walking 11.5% of the time and striking out at just a 14.9% clip. Then, on the defensive side, while he wasn't the 10 DRS and 8 OAA second baseman he was in '24, he was still an above average fielder at the position with 1 DRS and 1 OAA this season.

All of this meant that he accumulated 4.6 fWAR in 2025, which only trailed Nico Hoerner's 4.8 fWAR among primary second baseman. And for context, he almost matched Hoerner's total while playing 30 less games.

Looking beyond just 2025, Marte has been the most productive offensive second baseman across the past three seasons. Since 2023, he leads the position in fWAR at 15.3, wRC+ at 140 and OPS at .887. Pair with that the fact he's held his own on the other side of the ball with a cumulative 13 DRS and 9 OAA and his prized commodity status more than holds up.

Now, a player of this caliber is certainly going to come at a cost, both in the form of a trade return and the financial commitment the Royals would have to take on after the fact.

From a trade return perspective, the Royals don't boast the strongest farm system in the world, but their not devoid of assets by any means. To acquire a name like Marte, the D-backs would likely seek Top 100 talent. Kansas City does have one name that fits that mold who could find himself blocked moving forward in Blake Mitchell, given Carter Jensen's rise to the majors and Salvador Perez's two-year extension.

Then, there's other promising Top 10 organizational names such as Yandel Ricardo or Kendry Chourio that wouldn't be the easiest to part with, but for a perennial All-Star hitter who's been in the MVP conversation on his best day, it could be worth the splurge.

On top of that, thriving names lower in their prospect ranks like Daniel Vazquez or Carson Roccaforte could be of intrigue in a trade package.

And if Arizona is looking for major league help - considering they were in the NL Wild Card late into the season in 2025 - the Royals could help them address a need of theirs.

The Diamondbacks' rotation ranked in the bottom half of the league in ERA, FIP, WHIP and BAA, and their rotation is only getting weaker at the moment, with Zac Gallen on the open market and Corbin Burnes likely to start the year on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June.

Thankfully, the Royals have no shortage of major league starters they could dangle in front of Arizona to entice them to part with their superstar.

If Kansas City were to manage to pull of a deal for Marte, the one thing Royals fans might see as a red flag is the remaining 5-years of the 6-year, $116.5 million deal he signed last year.

However, in the immediate future, Marte is only set to make $16 million this season and $12 million in 2027 before his AAV escalates to $20 million or more from 2028 to 2030. And when you consider the type of player Marte has been and the amount other MVP-caliber stars have made or are projected to make on the open market, a $22 million max AAV seems like a reasonable price to pay to shore up second base.

Whether or not the Royals have a shot at Marte, or if the D-backs are actually willing to trade him away remains to be seen. But if there's a chance that Marte is attainable, he would no doubt be the perfect addition in the heart of the order for a hopeful contender like Kansas City.