Ketel Marte's trade market is booming. The Diamondbacks star second baseman is signed through the 2032 season on an affordable deal – he's owed just $102.5 million, after all. There are no up-the-middle infielders of Marte's caliber on the free-agent market, at least not for his asking price. Bo Bichette, for example, will receive far more than $100 million.
The Red Sox are favored to trade for Marte as of this writing, but they aren't alone. Unfortunately for some interested parties, Marte has a five-team no-trade list. Those teams – headlined by the Pirates and Yankees – must hope Marte has a change of heart, or their plan of adding an All-Star talent on the cheap have already been foiled.
Ranking Ketel Marte's no-trade list by which teams got screwed over the most
5. Athletics
The A's are quietly better than the experts think heading into the 2026 season, but they were never going to pay up for a 32-year-old Marte anyway. The Athletics will start paying up for free agents once they land in Vegas, or at least that's the argument John Fisher has made ever since announcing the franchise was leaving Oakland. Now playing in a minor-league park in Sacramento, the A's shouldn't be surprised – nor upset with Marte, frankly – that he'd prefer to play out his long-term deal elsewhere. In the meantime, the A's can continue to build up their farm system.
4. Cardinals
Chaim Bloom wants to rebuild. He does not want to trade assets for a veteran on an affordable contract. The Cardinals knew this when they put him in charge, and so far, he's done just that. St. Louis will trade Nolan Arenado this winter. Brendan Donovan is on the block as well. Marte was never in the cards (pun intended), and thus St. Louis is a poor fit for his services anyway.
3. Yankees
Marte doesn't want to be a Yankee. That's fine. Playing in New York isn't for everyone. However, what makes matters troubling for the Yankees is that he could instead land in Boston on the cheap. The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is as fiery as ever. The Sox are building up the middle – and successfully, I might add. Marte won't come cheap but the Red Sox have the farm system to acquire him, and could even bring back Alex Bregman as well. The Yankees don't want to spend like their usual selves this winter, and Marte would've been an addition to excite the fanbase. Instead, negotiations were over before they even began.
2. Giants
I'm not sure what the Giants plan is at second base, but Casey Schmitt most certainly shouldn't be it. By now, the Schmitt experiment is played out, as the 26-year-old had a 0.6 bWAR in 95 games. Schmitt is a capable defensive player, but had an OPS just barely north of .700 last season. Marte is a far superior player in every facet, and would've been a tremendous double-play partner with Willy Adames at shortstop. Buster Posey wants to win now. He's made that abundantly clear with his additions since taking over. Unfortunately for him, one option has been taken off the table.
1. Pirates
If Bob Nutting is to be believed, the Pirates are willing to spend this winter. They made a courtesy offer to Kyle Schwarber – and FanSided's Robert Murray reported the Pirates interest was genuine – and were even interested in Pete Alonso before he signed with the Orioles. Pittsburgh makes a ton of sense for Marte, as he'd slide right into the top of their lineup and is on an affordable contract long term. Trading for Marte would help the Pirates regain some trust with their fanbase, but it might not be an option after all thanks to his no-trade list.
Why some teams could be scared off by Ketel Marte
Sure, Marte is a sought-after product, but he's not perfect. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Marte did have some clubhouse issues last season in Arizona. Namely, Marte took three games off after the All-Star Break to remain in the Dominican Republic after his home in Scottsdale was broken into.
Again, this will not stop teams from trading for Marte, but it could give them pause when Arizona asked for top prospect capital back in return. Marte's career OPS of .823 offers plenty of promise, but he's also well over 30. Will he continue to trend in the right direction once he's sent elsewhere? And if so, why are the Diamondbacks willing to trade him?
Ketel Marte when he gets traded to the Colorado Rockies instead of the New York Yankeespic.twitter.com/sJMIMRHYp0 https://t.co/UpeqR6YEdW
— Adam Samuels (@SamuelAdams_12) December 15, 2025
The answer to that question could be quite simple. Right now, Marte has a five-team no-trade list. He will gain full no-trade protection just a few days into the 2026 season, as he'll have 10 years of MLB service time. These are all matters any team interested in Marte must take into account before acquiring him.