The Diamondbacks introduced a brand new seven-year contract with star second baseman Ketel Marte. It’s a reported $116.5MM assure that comes with $64MM in new cash. Marte, who had already been below contract for 3 seasons, is now signed by means of 2031. He can choose out of the deal after the 2030 season, when there’ll be at the least $11.5MM remaining. There are additionally $33MM in escalators and efficiency bonuses for the QC Sports activities shopper. Marte receives a five-team no-trade clause, although that’ll change into moot when he will get 10-and-5 rights early within the 2026 season.
The contract takes impact this yr and breaks down as follows: $14MM in 2025 ($5MM of which is deferred), $15MM in ’26, $12MM in ’27, $20MM in ’28, and $22MMM per season between 2029-30. Every top-three MVP end would enhance the next yr’s wage by $3MM; it’d go up by $2MM if he finishes between fourth and seventh in MVP voting. The deal additionally contains $2.5MM yearly from 2026-31 in plate look incentives.
The information absolutely comes as a delight to followers in Arizona. The face of the Diamondbacks franchise first flashed famous person potential again in 2019, when he was an All-Star and completed fourth in NL MVP voting after slashing .329/.389/.592 (150 wRC+) in 144 video games. Within the years since then, he’s usually been an above-average participant however not essentially a famous person, slashing .275/.347/.462 with a wRC+ of 118 from 2020 to 2023. That narrative modified in 2024, nevertheless, as Marte rediscovered his MVP-caliber kind throughout his age-30 season with an exceptional .292/.372/.560 (151 wRC+) slash line that earned Marte his first profession Silver Slugger award, a second All-Star look, and a 3rd place end in MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani and Francisco Lindor.
That’s the form of elite manufacturing that makes for an exceptional constructing block, so it’s not precisely a shock that Arizona brass have been all for prolonged Marte’s stick with the membership and making him a Diamondback for all times. The membership has usually been aggressive about extending its prime gamers below Mike Hazen, with this newest deal for Marte standing because the tenth extension agreed upon since he took over baseball operations in fall of 2016. It’s additionally the fourth of 2025, becoming a member of agreements the membership reached with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, reliever Justin Martinez, and right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.
Extra notably, it’s additionally the third extension of Marte’s profession. His first got here again in 2018 when he was a pre-arbitration participant. The switch-hitter was assured $24MM by that first deal, which ran by means of the top of his anticipated staff management window but additionally afforded the Diamondbacks two possibility years on what in any other case would’ve been Marte’s first two years of free company. Marte’s second deal took place simply earlier than the 2022 season started, forward of his last yr earlier than these choices would’ve kicked in. That deal overwrote these two possibility years and assured Marte $76MM for the 2023-27 seasons, and likewise included a membership possibility for 2028.
The second deal ended up overlaying simply two seasons, because it has now already been overwritten to increase Marte’s keep in Arizona by means of at the least 2030, with a participant possibility that might push the deal into 2031. Given the truth that Marte was already below staff management by means of the top of his age-34 season, it’s at the least considerably stunning that the Diamondbacks would resolve to decide to their second baseman’s mid-30s this far forward of time. In any case, the membership very simply might’ve waited to see how Marte would carry out over the subsequent two or three seasons earlier than opening discussions with Marte previous to the 2028 season, after they would probably train their membership possibility over his providers.
With that being mentioned, the deal not solely extends Arizona’s years of management over their star, but additionally restructures his current contract. Marte was slated to earn $50.8MM over the subsequent three seasons on his current contract. That quantity drops to simply $41MM along with his new deal, saving the membership practically $10MM over the subsequent three seasons and $5MM in 2025 alone. That additionally doesn’t issue within the $46MM in deferred cash within the deal, which cuts down the sum of money owed to Marte within the short-term even additional.
That the Diamondbacks would search a restructured cope with Marte in an effort to save a bit of cash within the short-term is comprehensible contemplating that the staff is deep into uncharted monetary waters. In response to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the membership opened the 2025 season with a payroll of practically $187MM. That’s a rise of $24MM over 2024, which was already the very best payroll in franchise historical past by greater than $30MM. The membership’s aggressiveness this winter in including Corbin Burnes and swinging a commerce for Josh Naylor was definitely admirable, but it surely’s lengthy appeared probably that the Diamondbacks have been probably stretching the bounds of proprietor Ken Kendrick’s consolation zone.
If Arizona is going through the higher limits of its baseball operations price range, that might additionally clarify the membership’s reported insistence on suitors for struggling southpaw Jordan Montgomery consuming at the least $13MM of his $25MM wage for 2025 in commerce talks in addition to the membership falling quick in its pursuit of a top-flight nearer this winter. Maybe this restructured cope with Marte will provide them a bit extra respiration room to work with on the commerce deadline throughout an vital 2025 season. After the present marketing campaign, Montgomery and Naylor are slated to be joined by Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Eugenio Suarez in departing at no cost company. That’s a whole lot of vital gamers who will must be re-signed or changed to keep away from a step again in 2026, and it’s doable at the moment’s restructuring of Marte’s deal might assist the membership fill these upcoming holes as properly.
Mike Rodriguez first reported final evening that the D-Backs and Marte have been engaged on a brand new nine-figure contract. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was first on the $116.5MM assure, the $46MM in deferrals, the 2031 participant possibility, and the wage construction. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers had the $11.5MM possibility worth and the $149.5MM most after escalators. Piecoro had the escalator specifics.
Picture courtesy of Imagn Pictures.
