Yankees should avoid Ketel Marte trade, and not for reasons fans might suspect

The New York Yankees have a need at second base, and a popular target once again finds himself engulfed in trade rumors. It has been years since Ketel Marte became a prime Yankees trade target, but the stars have never aligned. The rumors connecting him to the Yankees have always been more aspirational than tangible.

However, almost immediately after Marte signed his latest extension with the Arizona Diamondbacks in April of 2025, the two sides both seemed to have had misgivings. Last offseason, the three-time All-Star was the hottest trade candidate this side of Tarik Skubal, who didn't actually move. It seemed as if he and Arizona were going to try to give things another go and see if they could repair their relationship.

Then Marte went AWOL during an August game in Boston while the D'Backs were in the heat of a wild-card chase. It was just another in a growing list of malfeasances and instances of the 33-year-old being a me-first teammate.

Both the team and the player made nice after the fact, but it was clear the relationship was broken, perhaps irreparably so. Now, Arizona general manager Mike Hazen is acknowledging that his team needs a change, and it could be that Marte formally ends up on the trade block again this winter.

“I think we need to look at some ways to shake the team up a little bit,” Hazen said via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. “I think we’ve had this team together for a long time. We’ve had some success, but we’re going to find ways to make some changes in some cases. I don’t know where that’s going to take us.” 

Ketel Marte has a lot of red flags, but there's one unexpected reason why the Yankees should avoid a trade

Marte is under contract through 2030 and holds an $11.5 million player option for 2031. His salary isn't crazy — just $13.75 million in 2027, $20 million in 2028, and $22 million in both 2029 and 2030 — but he's aging and coming off a year in which he hit a pedestrian .249/.316/.432.

Put declining production, a long-term contract for an aging player, and the clubhouse issues all together, and you have a pretty toxic asset.

Now, you could convince yourself that Marte would behave better with a change of scenery. His track record suggests that he could still bounce back in 2027 and the foreseeable future. He'd fit nicely into New York's second base vacancy, and his switch-hitting ability and high contact rates would add needed balance to the Yankees' lineup.

However, there's one major difference between the possibility of trading for Marte last offseason and making a deal now. In April, Marte obtained 10-5 status (10 years in the league, five years with his current team), which gives him a full no-trade clause. The Yankees were mentioned as one of five teams he could block a trade to. That might take New York out of the running before anything could pick up steam, but sometimes these things are a means for a player to exert leverage.

Marte has more leverage than ever now. He can now block a deal anywhere, and he can use that to make certain demands. The speculation that Bryce Harper would only waive his no-trade clause if given an extension is one example of a ploy Marte could pull. He could also use his negotiating power to extract other perks and concessions from an acquiring team.

Some fans still want to see Marte in pinstripes despite all the red flags, but this is the straw that breaks the camel's back. If the Yankees have to beg him to come to the Bronx, they'd be better off barking up a different tree. Marte has already shown that he can be mercurial, and setting a precedent that you'll cave to his whims will only have him asking for more down the road, even as his skills erode.

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