As more and more young talents hit the ground running in the Majors, teams are getting more and more aggressive about locking those players up before they even hit arbitration, much less free agency. Just this week, the San Diego Padres handed outfielder Jackson Merrill a nine-year deal before his 22nd birthday, while the Boston Red Sox signed both ace Garrett Crochet and top infield prospect Kristian Campbell to long-term contracts.
Of course, it's not just up-and-coming players getting in on the fun early in the 2025 season. The Arizona Diamondbacks made sure that one of the centerpieces of their lineup won't be going anywhere any time soon, as AZ Central's Nick Piecoro reports that the team has reached agreement with infielder Ketel Marte on a new six-year, $116.5 million contract extension.
The Diamondbacks have signed Ketel Marte to a new extension through 2031. It is worth $116.5m, $64m of which is new money.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) April 2, 2025
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Ketel Marte contract extension: Full details on six-year, $116.5 million deal
Marte was already locked up for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a five-year, $76 million extension ahead of the 2023 season that was set to carry him through at least 2027. But he's put up two more sensational seasons since then, including his second All-Star nod last season, and at age 31 he figures to have plenty more good baseball left in his career.
The deal gives Marte even more long-term security in a market that's been hostile to 30-something position players, while it also gives Arizona some more payroll flexibility as the team looks like to keep up with the joneses in the NL West. After signing Corbin Burnes this offseason, the D-backs are now up to 11th in the league in payroll at just over $195 million, and ownership and GM Mike Hazen have both said all the right things about continuing to invest in a roster that looks set to contend for years to come.
Marte's new contract will add three guaranteed years in 2028, 2029 and 2030, plus an $11.5-million player option for the 2031 season. Marte will be in his late 30s by then, but locking him up at a below-market rate through the rest of his prime is worth a little more hurt on the back-end.