My Take on the Ketel Marte Situation

On August 14th, Nick Piecoro published a bombshell report on D-backs' All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte for The Arizona Republic. The central theme of that report is that other players in the clubhouse are willing to voice their frustrations about Marte's "special treatment" by the organization.

Without knowledge of what's going on in the clubhouse, as I haven't been in there since the 2022 season or covered a game at Chase Field since June 16th of last season, I can't sufficiently answer that question. All I can do is give my opinion on the situation, do my best to report who says what, and just accept that I'm not here to win over hearts and minds with what I have to say.

My Take on the Ketel Marte Situation

I consider Piecoro the gold standard for reporting on things surrounding the Arizona Diamondbacks. He doesn't simply release something for the sake of generating outrage and clicks; he is a trusted source and, to the best of my knowledge, has no hidden agenda regarding the team.

The rumblings likely started when Marte asked for an off day in the final week of the 2024 season. With the team fighting for their postseason lives, he sat in the series opener against San Francisco. That likely did not sit well in the clubhouse, especially when the team missed the postseason after being eliminated via tiebreaker. That was something I picked up on in a conversation with another beat writer.

John Gambadoro, Arizona Sports' ultimate insider, confirmed the report that Marte was vacationing in the Dominican Republic during the All-Star break. It's unclear if it was a direct result of that, since I'm not in that building, but Marte missed the first two games. It was something manager Torey Lovullo wasn't aware of until that morning.

Now I think it's important to set the right context here. It's a frustrated clubhouse after barely missing the postseason last year, followed up by a collapse in July that led to a selloff. Being away from the team for the first game of the second half is inexcusable. It wouldn't be a shock that some of the players who spoke to Nick and Gambo (most likely off the record or anonymously) are no longer in the organization. However, I'm not interested in finding out who might have said it.

I also think it's unfair to solely blame Marte's absence for the team's 1-8 run to finish July, considering the entire lineup scored 13 runs total. That's a failure for all the hitters on the team. You win as a team, you lose as a team, end of story. The team as a whole fell short of expectations, leading to the deadline selloff.

Mike Hazen will have to make the most difficult decision of his entire tenure as the D-backs GM. He's already committed to keeping Marte around, signing him to two contract extensions in the last four years. Does he continue to commit to his All-Star second baseman, or does he deal him for pennies on the dollar and risk alienating the fan base?

Hazen's decisions won't ever be based on how you or I could potentially receive a Marte trade. I don't think it will make the team better, unless it's painfully obvious that it's an addition by subtraction. Should the team choose to keep Marte for 2026, it's safe to consider him a fixture of the club, and the question will be how the team moves forward.

You can read more on what the infield situation could potentially look like if they do keep him.

Torey Lovullo Defends Treatment of Ketel Marte

Lovullo went on Burns & Gambo on August 15th with the opportunity to address Piecoro's exposé less than 24 hours after it was published. The D-backs manager had the opportunity to address the notion he was coddling Marte, as both Dan Bickley and Gambadoro hinted. Lovullo likened it to parenting.

"People who say they treat their kids all the same, they're lying," said Lovullo. "You try to get the best out of each child, and that requires different strategies. I will say that Ketel Marte has a massive heart; he's extremely emotional. He loves to play, he wants to be in the middle of everything with his teammates every single day."

It's also worth noting that Marte is 31 years old and a history of back and hamstring injuries in his career. He had a stress reaction in his back that prematurely ended his 2019 season and has gone on the IL three times with hamstring injuries since 2022. With his age and injury history, it's important the team keeps him available and engaged for as much of the season as they can.

"The body doesn't always function the right way. Sometimes we got to listen to what he says and do what's best for him, which in turn gives us the best results for his production."

It's unclear to see how well Marte can play hurt. After getting spiked in the ankle by a dirty Garrett Stubbs slide, he tried to play through it, but couldn't stand in the box and ended up going on the IL.

When Lovullo learned the details surrounding Marte's absence from the team in the Cardinals' series, he stated they dealt with it internally. He said he'll continue to take the temperature of the club now that the report is out, but won't address the team about it unless it becomes a distraction. They've won nine of their last 14 games and have crept within 4.5 games of the final Wild Card spot.

How the team handles this situation over the final 39 games will likely determine the viability of both Marte and Lovullo returning to the club next season. If players, whether they're on the team or not, are willing to express there's frustration, there's a problem. The saying goes, "When there's smoke, there's fire." It's pretty clear something has to be done to prevent the situation from getting worse and they have to make a truly regrettable situation.

The hope is, for the long-term health of the club, that a solution is found for both to stay. Otherwise, it may take longer than the end of the 2026 season to finish this quick rebuild.

P.S. After making the mistake of searching "Nick Piecoro" on Twitter and the even bigger mistake of scrolling through the results multiple times, all I can say is you guys need to chill. Any post blaming Nick for the team losing back-to-back games the way they have is equally as moronic as anyone on the team pointing the finger at Marte for them falling short the last two seasons. At the end of the day, Piecoro's piece doesn't create any new division in the clubhouse, and the timing isn't devised to sabotage the team. If there are fractures in the locker room regarding Marte, they existed long before he even thought about writing such a piece.

If you're wondering why this is out, it's not because I feel obligated to defend Nick Piecoro's reputation in any manner. He makes a living in a job that I can only dream of at this point in my life. I've burned too many bridges with different publications, although I don't regret leaving a single one in the past calendar year. I probably won't be hired to write for MLB Trade Rumors or asked to participate in MLB itself, whether it's their Scouting Development Program or Data Operations. I've probably made my last dime writing about the team, and it's only a matter of whether or not I can cover this year's Arizona Fall League as the exit ramp of my life as a baseball writer.

In the three seasons (2022-2024) that I've been credentialed for games at Chase Field, the number of times I've interacted with him can be counted on one hand. However, the responses to that piece by a section of the fan base fly against my mission statement to improve discourse on the team and produce more passionate and educated fans. That's the reason I keep going, when I have every reason to quit and disappear. There are topics that if I don't address in my writing, no one will have the guts or know-how to do.

If that makes me a terrible writer or someone whose content shouldn't be read, then whatever. I'll be irrelevant in this space after this season is over anyway.