It was sometime after the news of Alex Bregman signing with the Cubs and Boston's inking of Ranger Suárez that my inbox started filling with a similar question: Since the Red Sox lost out on Bregman and signed a pitcher who gives them some real rotation depth, do you think they will now circle back to the Diamondbacks and offer GM Mike Hazen a deal for Ketel Marte that he can’t refuse?
As you will recall, it was just over a week ago that Hazen said that he was no longer going to listen to trade offers for Marte. He had set a deadline by asking the teams he had been engaged with to make their best offers, and after that he was no longer going to entertain any more.
“Look, we’ve already engaged in that process,” he said. “I said at the time that I set the deadline for a reason, to avoid this.”
Hazen informed Marte by phone that all trade talks were off and that the two are going to sit down and talk about it face to face when Marte comes to Arizona before Spring Training. He also noted that a GM’s word has to count for something. If he tells another GM something and then goes back on it, how will that impact future dealings?
If he tells a player something -- in this case, “You’re not getting traded” -- and then a week later trades him, why would any player in the future trust what he says?
So, to answer the initial question, no. Nothing has changed, and Marte will be wearing a Diamondbacks uniform come Spring Training.
Here are a couple of other questions I’ve gotten recently.
What does the acquisition of Nolan Arenado mean for Blaze Alexander?
Alexander impressed last season after taking over at third base when Eugenio Suárez was traded to the Mariners at the Trade Deadline, but Arenado will be the primary starter there.
That doesn’t mean Alexander is headed to the bench. Instead, look for him to get the first crack at extended playing time in left field. He doesn’t have much experience in the outfield, but he showed a good feel for it in limited action last year.
With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the injured list to start the year and Jake McCarthy gone via trade, Alexander, Jordan Lawlar, Alek Thomas and Jorge Barrosa, among others, will get chances to earn playing time in left and center.
In addition, I wouldn’t overlook Ryan Waldschmidt, ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the system by MLB Pipeline. Waldschmidt will be in big league camp and could be a dark-horse candidate for the Opening Day roster. Even if he doesn’t make it out of camp, I would be very surprised if he doesn’t see time in the Majors this season.
What about more bullpen moves?
The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Taylor Clarke to a deal this past week, and they also added righty Jonathan Loáisiga on a Minor League deal to add depth to the bullpen.
They are still on the hunt for bullpen arms, but if you’re holding your breath on them bringing in a bona fide closer at this point, well … don’t.
“Would I like to have somebody that has a clear pedigree of pitching in the eighth and ninth inning?” Hazen said. “That’s an easier answer. I’m not sure what we’ll have access to in that way. I think if we continue to build out talent in the bullpen, this bullpen is going to be good in time as we move through the season. We’re going to obviously be getting guys back as we move through the season, so I think the talent is naturally going to improve as we move through the year.”
Reliever performances from year to year can be extremely volatile, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for there to be multiple pitchers who could step up from the group that includes Drey Jameson, Juan Burgos, Andrew Hoffman, Andrew Saalfrank and other young pitchers in the system.
Kevin Ginkel should be healthy to start the season and Ryan Thompson, who had some injury issues last year as well as some struggles, could return to the form he displayed with Arizona in 2023 and 2024.
Co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez should be back from Tommy John surgery sometime around the All-Star break, which will definitely provide a boost.