Will Red Sox Swap Alex Bregman For Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte? Fresh Intel

The Hot Stove rumors are flying fast and furious. The latest include the Boston Red Sox and a pair of potential offseason moves.

On Tuesday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the Arizona Diamondbacks are interested in signing third baseman Alex Bregman.

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal offered some more details on the D’backs’ pursuit.

“(A) person briefed on the DBacks’ plans said ‘nothing is off the table’ with regard to the team’s offseason pursuits,” Rosenthal reported.

However Rosenthal also noted that Arizona signing Bregman “would be possible only if the Diamondbacks first trade second baseman Ketel Marte.”

“The DBacks almost certainly would need to trade Marte before signing Bregman; they would lose leverage doing it the other way around,” Rosenthal added. “The deferrals in Marte’s contract lower his average annual value for luxury-tax purposes to $14.6 million. Bregman likely would go for at least twice that AAV, but the Diamondbacks’ current payroll is an estimated $17 million lower than it was last season.”

The Marte buzz has been picking up speed within the last week, with the Red Sox mentioned as a potential trade partner.

However nothing seems imminent between Boston and Arizona, according to 7News’ Ari Alexander.

“Latest on any potential Ketel Marte trade, per league source: ‘Red Sox are trying, but I don’t think they’ve made much headway,'” Alexander reported.

The potential for a trade between the Red Sox and D’backs seems to make sense.

“Not only does Marte come with a reasonable contract for a player of his caliber, but he plays a position the Red Sox have lacked stability at since that fateful night in Baltimore in 2017 when Manny Machado spiked Dustin Pedroia’s surgically-repaired left knee,” MLB.com’s Ian Browne reported.

“Though a report recently surfaced that Marte has a limited no-trade clause of five teams, including the Yankees, the Red Sox aren’t on that list,” Browne added.

“The Red Sox are one of the few teams with depth to deal from on the pitching side and the position-player side,” Browne concluded.

Marte is a three-time All-Star with a pair of Silver Slugger Awards on his resume.

He’s hit at least 25 home runs in each of the last three seasons and finished third in voting for the 2024 National League MVP Award. That year, he set career highs in home runs (36) and RBIs (95).