It is becoming increasingly more likely that the Arizona Diamondbacks will ultimately end up trading Ketel Marte this offseason and atop the list of suitors for his services are the Cincinnati Reds. The Diamondbacks are looking for pitching in return, and the Reds have plenty of it, anyway you switch it up. Subscribe to our Newsletter by using the popup or the form below!
How Does Ketel Marte Fit The Reds?
Ketel Marte would bring the kind of balanced, switch-hitting presence the Reds have been missing at the top of their lineup heading into 2026. You know, the job Jeimer Candelario was supposed to come in and uphold, but…sucked out loud? The Reds have spent the last two seasons piecing together leadoff and No. 2 options, but Marte’s ability to grind at-bats, hit for average, and provide real gap power from both sides makes him an immediate lineup stabilizer, especially in Great American Ballpark. He doesn’t rely on platoon splits, and his track record shows he can carry an offense for stretches—something this young Cincinnati core could use when the inconsistencies pile up.
Nati Sports Cincinnati Reds HUB
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Visit the Reds HUB →Defensively, the versatility is almost as valuable as the bat. The Reds would likely slot Marte in at second base most nights, but he could slot in as a DH, too, to mix and match lineups without losing offensive production for Terry Francona. Pairing Marte with Elly De La Cruz on the left side of the infield at times would create one of the most athletic defensive looks in baseball, while also giving the Reds a top-of-the-order duo that can change a game with speed and extra-base hits. Ketel’s defense did take a step back in 2025, but one would assume he pick back up if healthy.
What makes Marte especially appealing for 2026 is how well he complements the rest of the Reds’ emerging core. His switch-hitting profile breaks up the right-handed power cluster of Spencer Steer and Noelvi Marte. He lengthens the lineup behind Matt McLain while offering Elly consistent RBI opportunities (if he slotted in the 2). And with his postseason experience and reputation for performing in big moments, he’d immediately become one of the most mature, steadying forces in a clubhouse that’s still figuring out how to win deep into September, and yes, we’re well aware of his clubhouse dramas that are rumored. Sometimes change of scenary helps that.
If the Reds truly believe their window is opening in 2026, Ketel Marte is the exact type of high-floor, high-impact position player who pushes a young roster from “interesting” to legitimate NL contender, but he won’t be cheap, that’s a given…
What Will It Take To Land Ketel Marte?
We know that the Diamondbacks are searching for controllable pitching. Yes, the Reds have a bunch of that. We also know that Ketel Marte will cost a whole bunch, and he comes to whatever new team he ends up with owed $103,500,000 through 2031 (his age 37 season) and per Spotrac, his contract also has performance escalators in them, something I personally love, so he could become even more expensive.
The Reds can genuinely get creative here, they could offer up one of their veteran starters like Nick Lodolo, whom they’ve shopped before, or they could even look into moving their young starter core like Rhett Lowder, who is battling injuries and may not woo most like some others. Regardless, Cincinnati will have to depart with pitching to start.
One name to keep watch on is Matt McLain, however, because Arizona is very familiar with him – he was a first round draft pick of theirs coming out of college in 2018 and they’ll be looking to replace Marte’s production. McLain is coming off a disappointing year, a year that genuinely diminished his value around the game. It’s tough thinking the Reds would move him at this low of value, but if it meant replacing him with Marte and sending a lesser pitching prospect like Lowder (I say this lightly, we know Lodolo is established, that’s what I mean by this,) then it could absolutely happen. Not to mention, due to the Reds own stupidity, McLain reached Super 2 status and has already entered arbitration, this means he’s more expensive than he would’ve been earlier, and the Reds lost a year of control.
How Likely We Talking?
The Reds would have to be way beyond aggressive for this to take shape. I’d put a Marte trade at about 10%. It’d be one of the smarter things Krall has done, but I don’t think the Reds have the luxury of departing with the quantity of good players it’ll take to land a player of Ketel Marte’s magnitude. The system simply isn’t strong enough to withstand that for an aged player. It’s looking more and more likely the Reds will end up with another boring offseason.
