What could a Red Sox trade for Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte look like?

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox have been linked to Marte over the last week as they seek to add another top bat to their lineup.

By Conor Roche

December 13, 2025 | 4:30 PM

4 minutes to read

If the Red Sox want to acquire Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte, it’ll almost certainly cost a pretty penny.

Marte, 32, has undoubtedly been one of baseball’s best second basemen and arguably one of the game’s top hitters over the last few years. The switch-hitter logged a .283 batting average with 28 home runs, 72 RBIs, and a .893 OPS in 126 games last season, earning an All-Star nod for the second straight season.

As the Red Sox are among the teams reportedly most interested in trading for Marte this offseason, we still don’t know much about what they’ve offered the Diamondbacks to get the star at this point. But there are some clues about what it might take to land Marte.

The Diamondbacks are seeking young pitching in any trade involving Marte, The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal recently reported. So, if the Red Sox are serious about wanting Marte, at least one of Payton Tolle or Connelly Early would presumably have to be included in any offer. Both pitchers had impressive moments in their first taste of MLB action this past season, and remain two of Boston’s top prospects ahead of the 2026 season.

In fact, the Diamondbacks were reportedly interested in Early when the Red Sox sought to possibly trade for Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly ahead of this past season’s trade deadline.

However, a reported offer from the Rays might give a clue of what the Red Sox have to beat in order to land Marte. The Rays are offering one of pitcher Ryan Pepiot or pitcher Shane Baz plus other pieces in a deal for Marte, Rosenthal recently reported. Both pitchers are a bit more proven than Tolle and Early, with Pepiot completing his second full season as a starter and with a sub-4.00 ERA in both seasons. Baz, meanwhile, just had his first full season as a starter after undergoing Tommy John surgery, posting a 4.87 ERA.

If the Diamondbacks like either of those pitchers more than Tolle or Early, Brayan Bello would likely be the most comprable player the Red Sox could offer for Marte. Bello (26) is slightly older than Baz (26) and is younger than Pepiot (28). Bello’s also under team control for a year longer than either Rays pitcher and his 2025 season was arguably stronger than any season Baz or Pepiot have pitched.

But the Diamondbacks’ wishlist for what it wants in a trade for Marte might not end with young starting pitchers. The Diamondbacks “might be intrigued” by Marcelo Mayer, MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported Friday. Multiple evaluators have also wondered if the Diamondbacks would ask for Mayer from the Red Sox in a deal involving Marte, The Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier reported.

The Red Sox think there’s a path to get a deal done for Marte without having to include Mayer, Cotillo added in his report. But the Red Sox haven’t absolutely made Mayer an untouchable, even if they’ve “shwon reluctance” to trade him, according to Speier.

Mayer, who turned 23 on Friday, was one of the top prospects in baseball prior to getting called up this season. He showed flashes, hiting four homers in 44 games and displayed plus defense at multiple positions. But a wrist injury sidelined Mayer for the season in July, marking another year for him that was cut short due to injury. With Mayer building an injury history, his value has taken a bit of hit, according to Speier.

An interesting wrinkle to all of the trade talk surrounding Marte is his contract. Unlike many other stars who get traded, he’s under contract for quite a bit. He has five seasons remaining on a six-year, $116.5 million deal, holding a smaller cap number for the next couple of season before his cap hit jumps up to $20 million in 2028.

With Marte becoming a rare star over 30 and under contract for the forseeable future becoming available on the trade market, there aren’t many comprable players who’ve been traded in recent memory. The closest might be when the Diamondbacks traded star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals ahead of the 2019 season. Goldschmidt was 31 at the time of the deal and had been named an All-Star in each of the previous six seasons.

The Cardinals gave up pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, infielder Andrew Young, and a 2019 competitive-balance round B draft pick in that deal. Weaver was the headliner prospect in that deal, ranking as one of the Cardinals’ top prospects and Baseball America’s 50th-best propsect ahead of thte 2017 season. He made his debut in 2016, and had a relatively unspectacular stint in the majors with Cardinals (4.79 ERA) before getting traded to the Diamondbacks.

So, the Diamondbacks’ ask for Marte seems to be a bit stronger than what they got for Goldschmidt seven years ago. Ultimately, an offer involving at least Bello and a couple other top prospects could be enough based on the reporting that’s out there so far, while an offer centered around one of Tolle or Early might have to include some more sweeteners.

Beyond Mayer, the Red Sox could sweeten their offer by including one of Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu as they still have a surplus of outfielders. Adding one of those players would certainly be beneficial for the Diamondbacks as well as it would at least make up for some of the production lost by trading Marte.