The Tampa Bay Rays are busy trying to improve their roster on the margins. They’ve imported a few outfielders, a handful of pitchers and are deciding which young players they trust. It remains extremely unlikely that they will pry Kyle Tucker off the free agent market despite having local connections.
Instead, the Rays should pursue the trade market and snatch a three-time All-Star from his perch in the desert: Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Rays Should Be All In on Ketel Marte
Snake on the Loose
Marte is an All-Star infielder who finds himself in the middle of trade rumors. He is under contract for the next five seasons with a player option for 2031. He’s guaranteed a hair above $100 million for those seasons. That is an incredible bargain for such a talented player. Not only that, Marte reportedly can gain full no-trade protection once he unlocks his 10-and-5 rights as early as next season. The Diamondbacks missed the postseason for the second straight season and are looking for ways to boost their starting rotation. Marte can fetch them a bushel of talent as they compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
Marte, 32, slashed .283/.376/.517 with 28 home runs and 72 RBI in 126 games last season. Those numbers practically mirror his career production, and his strikeout rate fell to its lowest level in the past three seasons. His career 9.2% walk and 15.9% strikeout rates are both above average. Marte plays a solid second base and was worth 1 out above average during the 2025 season. Imagine him and Carson Williams patrolling the middle infield for the next handful of years.
A Ton of Teams Interested
The Rays being connected to Marte is a positive development, especially considering how AL East rivals Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays (and others) are also talking to Arizona. They should be doing everything in their power to pry him away from their divisional rivals. Simultaneously, the Rays should be shopping incumbent Brandon Lowe to clear the roster space necessary for Marte. Maybe Arizona ultimately won’t pull the trigger on a trade, but who knows what kind of offers they will receive or if Lowe would be sent back to Arizona in such a hypothetical arrangement.
Ketel Marte market heating up: Red Sox, Mariners, Jays, possibly Phillies and Rays. D-Backs seeking big package understandably for superstar 2B.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 10, 2025
The Rays can provide some of the pitching Arizona is desperately seeking. The latest rumors allegedly had the Snakes seeking someone like Trey Yesavage in a hypothetical trade with the Blue Jays. Could the Rays include someone like Shane Baz or Joe Boyle to pique Arizona’s interest? As long as Boyle solves his command problems, the hype is real with someone who posted decent production between the rotation and bullpen. The Rays have a handful of pitching prospects in the upper levels poised to debut within the next year.
The Rays Can Trade Some Pitching
Tampa Bay has a core group of Ryan Pepiot, Drew Rasmussen and hopefully Shane McClanahan. Baz could find himself in trade rumors even though the Rays are under no mandate to move him. Ian Seymour and the newcomer Steven Matz round out the group. Surely there will be more smaller-scale additions since Matz can technically work in either the rotation or bullpen. Trading pitching is always a tricky proposition, but the price tag for someone like Marte could ultimately be worth it.
The good news is that the Rays aren’t under tons of pressure to make this move. They can keep an eye on Marte’s market and pounce at the right time. It remains business as usual for a typically busy Rays front office that works under limited resources in a hyper-competitive marketplace.
Main Photo Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
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