TEMPE, Ariz. – The Royals officially signed outfielder Starling Marte to a one-year Major League deal Monday after he passed his physical, adding depth and a right-handed option to their outfield for 2026.
Marte is guaranteed $1 million this year, sources told MLB.com, though active roster bonuses and performance bonuses can max it out at $3 million.
In a corresponding move for the 40-man roster, the Royals designated outfielder Dairon Blanco for assignment.
“[Marte] is a longtime proven right-handed bat in the big leagues,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s had pretty neutral splits over the years. Obviously, his leadership, the teammate that he brings to the table is something that’s been well talked about over the years. He’s clearly somebody who takes a lot of pride in keeping himself ready to play and keeping himself in shape.”
Marte, 37, is a two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove outfielder and 14-year veteran of the game, most recently with the Mets for the last four years. The Royals were interested in trading for him at several points in the last few years, but Marte’s injuries limited the trade opportunities. He played in only 396 games during his four-year stint with the Mets, plagued by groin injuries, a neck strain, migraines and a bone bruise in his right knee. He was the designated hitter in 77 of his 98 games in 2025 but posted a .270/.335/.410 slash line.
The Royals were searching for a right-handed outfielder who could be an option for them off the bench or against tough lefties, and talks with Marte picked up Friday night, as first mentioned by reporter Yancen Pujols.
“I value the guys and I feel comfortable,” Marte said in Spanish on Tuesday morning. “For me this will be a new season and [I’m committing] to doing the best I can to help the team. I know and I hope that everything gets better through the difficult times, to work through it and keep moving forward.”
With several left-handed bats in their everyday lineup, including outfielders Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone, along with catcher/DH Carter Jensen, the Royals wanted to make sure they had some protection against left-handed pitchers. Outfielder Lane Thomas is right-handed and will move around to all three spots in the grass, while Marte can be an option now in the corners or at DH if there’s a day to spell Caglianone or Jensen, both of whom the Royals envision playing a good amount to start the season.
Marte also can be the right-hander off the bench against a tough lefty reliever late in games when the Royals do stack the lefties in their lineup. He does have fairly neutral splits, too, with a .785 OPS against righties and a .770 OPS against lefties in his career, so it doesn’t have to be a straight platoon, either. Rather, the Royals can play the matchups with Marte as another option – and if he’s productive and healthy, he can earn more playing time.
While Marte dealt with injuries last season, he hasn’t needed to have a procedure done since 2022 and said he feels good physically coming into camp. The Royals will likely slowly build him up into games and in the outfield this spring.
“I feel good, thank God,” Marte said. “I know that my health has been a little difficult in the last two years but thank God I recovered well and now I come to continue what I have always done.”
In his 14-year career, Marte has accumulated 39.3 bWAR with a .285/.342/.440 slash line and 163 home runs in 1,530 games. He is the Major League leader among active players in stolen bases (361), hit-by-pitches (166) and outfield assists (107), and his 55 career triples are tied with Mike Trout for the most among active players.
Marte’s addition narrows the bench competition this spring, but there are still one or two spots available to win over the next three weeks. Second baseman/outfielder Michael Massey likely has an advantage on one of those two spots, but others competing include utilitymen Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert; outfielders Drew Waters, John Rave and Kameron Misner; as well as non-roster invitees Josh Rojas, Kevin Newman and Brandon Drury.
“We like what we’ve seen so far with Thomas and [Isaac] Collins and Cags and [Nick] Loftin, but we know it’s a long season, and we know there’s going to be a lot of things that come up that we can’t predict,” Quatraro said. “We need to make our 26[-man roster] as strong as it can be, and we think we’ve made it better by adding [Marte].”