The Diamondbacks are in agreement on a contract that could keep Ketel Marte in the organization through 2028.
For the past few years, rival scouts have heaped praise on the Diamondbacks’ farm system, complimenting the organization for its position-player depth and for the number of pitchers who have emerged with major league-caliber stuff.
Sources say the Diamondbacks and second baseman Ketel Marte are in agreement on a five-year, $76 million extension, a deal that will begin next season and runs through 2027. The contract includes a team option for 2028. The deal is pending a physical exam scheduled for Monday. Next came the contract extension Hazen gave Marte in March 2018. Marte was largely unproven at the time, but the Diamondbacks plunged ahead nevertheless, locking him in on a five-year, $24 million deal that included club options for 2023 and 2024 . Those options will be replaced with guaranteed years.
The risk now is less about whether Marte is capable of doing it, but whether he can do it again and again over the long haul. But much can be forgiven defensively when a player can hit like Marte. Over the past three seasons, Marte ranks 10th in the majors in OPS-plus among hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances, according to Baseball-Reference. He is in the same range as Mookie Betts, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Alex Bregman.