Red Sox Rumors: Important New Details On Ketel Marte Trade Pursuit

The Red Sox-Ketel Marte rumor mill continues to spin.

Over the last two weeks, numerous reports indicated Boston was pursuing a trade for the Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman. However, the Red Sox left the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings without a trade for Marte, and there are reasons to wonder how far Boston would go to acquire a player who’ll turn 33 next October.

So, where do things stand? Chris Cotillo of MassLive offered an update in a piece published Friday morning.

“As of Friday, (the Red Sox) — along with many other clubs — remained engaged with Arizona on Marte but nothing was close,” Cotillo wrote. “One source described the talks, to this point, as ‘exploratory.’ Arizona is clearly targeting starting pitching in talks for Marte but also might be intrigued by young infielder Marcelo Mayer, who the Red Sox would be hesitant to give up on.

“The Red Sox are under the belief there’s a path to a Marte trade that would not include Mayer, but the involvement of other teams will dictate what Arizona ultimately does.”

Cotillo also offered this larger update on the Red Sox’s pursuit of more offensive firepower:

“As of Thursday night, the Red Sox remained in pursuit of many of the top position players still on the market, casting a wide net in terms of type of transaction (both free agents and trades) and positional fit. Boston remains engaged with free agent Alex Bregman, a source said, and is involved in trade talks with Arizona on Ketel Marte as well as Houston on Isaac Paredes.

“The Red Sox are one of many teams interested in Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan, but St. Louis still might hold onto him. A new name has also surfaced for the Red Sox, who according to a source are pursuing Donovan’s teammate, Willson Contreras, in trade talks. The three-time All-Star played first base (120 games) instead of catching last year and is thought to be available with two years, $41 million and a 2028 club option remaining on his deal. He has a full no-trade clause but might be willing to waive it for the right fit.

“The Red Sox also remain interested in high-priced free agent Bo Bichette and versatile infielder Jorge Polanco, sources said late Thursday. Japanese corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto is also a potential fit. Free agent Eugenio Suarez, who slugged 49 homers in 2025, is one of the top power bats still available but to this point, despite poking around on him, the Red Sox have not been aggressors in his market.“

Time will tell whether the Red Sox land any of the players mentioned above. And, considering they didn’t sign Bregman until shortly before last spring training, it could be a while before they sign or trade for any significant player.

As for Marte, the three-time All-Star is coming off another strong season in which he hit .283 with 28 homers, 72 RBIs and an .893 OPS.