SF Giants division rivals could be listening to offers on star second baseman this offseason

The Arizona Diamondbacks have already signaled that they expect to scale back on payroll in 2026, but they may take that one step further. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the SF Giants division rivals plan to listen to offers on three-time All-Star Ketel Marte.

SF Giants division rivals could be listening to offers on star second baseman this offseason

Nightengale adds that the reasoning has to do with a character issue that has rubbed Diamondback players the wrong way.

It has been a tough season for Arizona. They entered the year with playoff aspirations, but those have been dashed, as they sit on the outside of the Wild Card race with a 60-65 record. The Giants are slightly ahead of them in the standings, with a 60-64 record.

Neither team has a strong chance to reach the playoffs this year. The Giants are six games behind the New York Mets for the third Wild Card spot. They would also need to leapfrog the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals in the standings.

Any team that reaches the playoffs has a chance. The Diamondbacks proved that not long ago, as they reached the World Series in 2023 after sneaking into the playoffs with an 84-78 record. They lost to the Texas Rangers in five games.

Since then, the Diamondbacks have been relatively aggressive in free agency, but that aggressiveness has not panned out. They signed Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Corbin Burnes to lucrative contracts in recent years. Mongomery and Burnes have been injured, while Rodríguez has been ineffective.

Moving Ketel Marte would suggest a rebuild or retool by the Diamondbacks. The 11-year veteran is in the midst of another strong year. He is hitting .297/.397/.555 (152 wRC+) with 23 home runs, 56 RBI, and 69 runs in 403 plate appearances. Throughout his career, has he put up an .826 OPS while recording at least 20 home runs in each of the past three seasons.

Marte is in the first year a five-year, $105 million extension. This includes a player option for 2031. At the moment, that deal looks like a bargain relative to his production.

The 31-year-old will also attain 10-and-5 rights in 2026, thereby giving him a no-trade clause. That would make trading him a bit more difficult.

Would the Diamondbacks trade to the Giants? While I do not think Arizona is totally against making moves within the division, this might be the type of move where they would rather move him out of the division. Plus, Marte has considerable trade value, so the prospect capital on the Giants' end would be painful, so a deal seems extremely unlikely.

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