The Boston Red Sox are beginning to fall behind the pack when it comes to their offseason work, but the good news is that there are still several big-name targets out there for the team to land. One guy who the team has continually been linked to on the trade market lately is Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte.
Not only is Marte a big bat who can help fill in the Red Sox’s lineup, but he also can help shore up the team’s middle infield, as they struggled to get much production from the second base position last season. In 2025, the switch-hitting Marte hit .283 while smacking 28 home runs and driving in 72 runs.
While the Diamondbacks are listening to trade offers for Marte, they don’t appear to be in a rush to trade him. With that in mind, a recent report indicates that despite Boston’s interest, it isn’t close to meeting Arizona’s asking price for the three-time All-Star.
“According to sources, the Red Sox are (as the moment these words are being written) not coming close to prying the second baseman away from Arizona,” Rob Bradford of WEEI reported.
Trade talks can heat up in a heartbeat, but it’s a bit worrisome to see that the Red Sox could be on the verge of missing out on another one of their top targets. If Boston can’t either re-sign Alex Bregman or trade for Marte, it could be in serious trouble come next season.
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With guys like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso already off the market, the Sox need to act with a greater sense of urgency if they want to take the next step forward in their quest to become a World Series contender. Whether or not they will be able to do that, though, remains to be seen.
Featured image via Denis Poroy/Imagn Images
