The trade talk around ketel marte has started early in 2026, and a mock deal from Sports Illustrated would send the Arizona Diamondbacks star to the Boston Red Sox. In the proposal, Arizona would receive Brayan Bello, Connelly Early and Justin Gonzales.
The timing is what gives the idea real bite. Arizona was 9-7 through its first 16 games of the 2026 campaign, and Marte had appeared in all 16, going 12-for-61 with a.197 batting average, seven runs, two home runs and seven RBIs. He is a three-time All-Star, but the slow start has only sharpened the discussion around a player who had already shown flashes of his peak form and drawn trade interest from clubs across the majors before the season.
Bello is described as a reliable veteran arm, Early as a highly touted prospect and Gonzales as a developmental piece, which is the kind of package that usually tells you how seriously a deal is being framed. Boston finished 89-73 in 2025 and has continued to make calls about Marte, while Arizona’s need for bullpen depth keeps the conversation from being purely theoretical.
That is the tension inside the idea: Marte remains central to Arizona’s lineup, but the club’s pitching needs and his uneven opening month make him an obvious name to watch if the Diamondbacks decide a trade can solve more than one problem at once.
