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Among the most significant considerations for the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason is whether or not to trade All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is reporting that there is motivation from the organization to do so.
The Diamondbacks will ask for a lot in return, but they are definitely motivated in moving him with $71 million remaining through 2030. If they don’t move him by mid-April, Marte will have 10-and-5 rights and a full no-trade provision.
Marte is nearing 10 years of major league service time, at which point his 10-and-5 rights (10 years of service time, five years on the same team) will allow him to veto any trade.
The switch-hitter would immediately become the biggest bat on the trade block if made available.
Marte has been one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball over the past couple seasons, is the longest-tenured Diamondback and is climbing franchise leaderboards. He made the All-Star team this past season, won a Silver Slugger award and he should receive down-ballot MVP votes after hitting 28 home runs with an .893 OPS in 2025. He did this after finishing third in the 2024 NL MVP race and leading the Diamondbacks to the 2023 World Series with an epic postseason.
Trading a player of his caliber would not come lightly, as finding equal value for superstars is difficult and can send a certain message to the clubhouse.
At the same time, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported in July that Marte was not untouchable, noting the club was desperate for starting pitching and dealing him was a way to attain it. MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert recently wrote that the D-backs had no intentions of trading a core player like Marte, but the new report from Nightengale has recirculated the trade speculation.
There was some baggage that came out of this season for Marte. A report from AZCentral.com’s Nick Piecoro laid out that Marte’s requests for days off irking some in the organization. The report surfaced after he missed the first series of the second half, flying to the Dominican Republic and staying there after his home in the Valley had been burglarized.
Arizona Sports’ Dan Bickley reported that the team did not know he was going to the Dominican Republic, and that Marte asked for the first game of the second half off before knowing about his house.
“I obviously, due to the circumstances of my situation, got frustrated and was in a bad spot, but I truly want to apologize for my teammates and everybody else who has supported the team,” he said at the time.
General manager Mike Hazen said in August that he was not blind to having an imperfect clubhouse, but “you win with superstars in this league.”
Marte is 32 years old and signed a six-year extension with Arizona this past spring worth $116.5 million. He missed nearly a month with a hamstring strain in 2025 and was nursing some additional ailments at times throughout the season. The veteran started 99 games at second base and 21 as the designated hitter. Injury management has been part of the deal with him.
When the 20205 season ended, Hazen for a second straight year harped on run prevention, a focus on pitching and defense going into the winter. Arizona was the top-scoring team in the league over the past two years and missed the postseason both times.
The club has two open rotation spots with Zac Gallen a free agent and Merrill Kelly having been traded before he hit the open market. Corbin Burnes is hoping for an All-Star break return from Tommy John surgery, but a lot can happen until then.
Pitching development is going to receive a makeover, as Piecoro reported.
The Diamondbacks’ offensive core is Marte, Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno, all of whom are under team control for multiple years. Young major leaguers Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawlar will continue to compete for opportunities, while there is a group of prospects getting closer to the big leagues such as Ryan Waldschmidt and Tommy Troy. The lineup depth going into next year has its questions, particularly at first base and the outfield — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is going to miss significant time recovering from a torn ACL.
Can the Diamondbacks muster enough offense if they trade Marte for pitching help? Is that the best way to add a potential top-end starter? Or, are the Diamondbacks better off keeping their core four bats together and finding starting pitching by pulling from their farm system?
With a payroll set to decline (but remain “competitive”) and holes on a team that made the postseason in 2023 and should have in 2024, the Diamondbacks have a tricky offseason to navigate as they look to return to contention.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been charged with taking bribes from sports bettors to intentionally throw certain types of pitches, including tossing balls instead of strikes to ensure successful bets.
According to an indictment unsealed Sunday in federal court in Brooklyn, Clase and Ortiz helped bettors from their native Dominican Republic win in-game prop bets on pitch speed and outcome by throwing certain pitches slower and down in the dirt, well out of the strike zone.
Both pitchers have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July while Major League Baseball investigated what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.
Ortiz, 26, was arrested by the FBI on Sunday at Boston Logan International Airport. He is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Monday. Clase, 27, is not yet in custody, authorities said.
A lawyer for Ortiz declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press and a lawyer for Clase did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Clase and Ortiz are both charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. The top charges carry a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison in the event of a conviction.
The charges against Clase and Ortiz are the latest bombshell developments in a federal crackdown on betting in professional sports.
Betting scandals have long been a concern for professional sports leagues, but a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 led to a wave of gambling incidents involving athletes and officials. The ruling struck down a federal law that barred sports betting in most states and opened the doors for online sportsbooks to take up a prominent space in the sports ecosystem.
Last month, more than 30 people, including prominent basketball figures such as Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling sweep that rocked the NBA.
Major League Baseball said it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating the unusual betting activity and “has fully cooperated” with authorities. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing,” its statement said.
In a statement, the Guardians said: “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action, We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”
Arizona State football remained on the outside looking in for the third straight week of The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll following the bye.
After ASU (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) received four votes after its win against Iowa State last week, the Sun Devils got seven votes.
ASU received three votes in the latest Coaches Poll. The Sun Devils received two votes last week.
The Sun Devils will be back in action at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday to face West Virginia (4-6, 2-5 Big 12). The Mountaineers are coming off a 29-22 win against Colorado in Week 11.
Texas Tech jumped up to No. 8 following its 29-7 win against BYU on Saturday. The Red Raiders (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) are now in a good spot to reach the Big 12 title game as they are first in the conference and are one of three teams with one conference loss, along with BYU (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) and Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1 Big 12). BYU dropped to No. 12 following the loss.
Cincinnati climbed up three spots to No. 22 during its bye week. Cincinnati will host Arizona on Saturday. Utah moved up to No. 15 in the latest AP poll.
The top five teams in the AP poll remained the same from last week.
Others receiving votes: Tulane 83, Missouri 59, North Texas 55, Iowa 54, Houston 43, SMU 8, Arizona State 7, San Diego State 5, Illinois 5, UNLV 2, Memphis 1.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of Major League Baseball’s prime cautionary tales that you can never have too much pitching.
Injuries ravaged the staff over the past two seasons, and even Arizona’s World Series run in 2023 left general manager Mike Hazen regretful that he did not add another starter. From 2024-25, the Diamondbacks ranked 26th with a team ERA of 4.56. In that same span, the D-backs scored the most runs in MLB, and yet they missed the postseason twice.
The club is back in the market for both starting pitching and bullpen help this offseason.
Pitching comes at a premium, and the Diamondbacks have paid a hefty price for starters over the past half-decade, most of whom did not produce up to expectations.
The Diamondbacks have found some success trading for controllable starting pitching under Hazen, most notably acquiring Zac Gallen for Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2019. The free agent class of starting pitchers is not chalk full of aces, but it has quality depth to it. The trade market, meanwhile, could get wild depending on whether mid-market teams decide to sell No. 1 arms.
The Diamondbacks are going to have to explore every avenue to improve the pitching staff, and with a payroll expected to be smaller than in 2025, trades could be the best option without pressing too hard on financial resources. Hazen told MLB.com this week that he would be open to dealing from the club’s pool of top prospects.
So, based on contracts, effectiveness and media speculation, here is a list of pitchers to watch on the trade market.
Keep in mind, the Diamondbacks are far from the only NL hopeful contender in need of starting pitching. The NL West-rival Padres and Giants come to mind, as do clubs like the Cubs and Mets. Adding these pitchers can change the outlook of teams looking to make a leap and challenge the Dodgers in 2026.
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Why on earth would arguably the best pitcher in the league get traded by a team that just reached the postseason?
Well, Skubal trade rumors are already garnering attention considering the caliber of pitcher and the reported separation in extension talks with Detroit. Skubal won the ERA title in the American League in back-to-back years and is favored to take home his second straight AL Cy Young award.
The left-hander raised in Kingman, Arizona, will be a free agent next offseason. MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that Skubal — a Scott Boras client — will seek a $400 million contract, while the Tigers offered an extension last winter shy of $170 million.
Detroit made the postseason in back-to-back years with Skubal leading the staff, and it is decision time on whether to cash in their ace as a trade chip, pony up the money or let it play out.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan told The Rich Eisen Show that the Tigers would like to keep Skubal and he would prefer to stay, but there is a case to separate if a long-term deal cannot be agreed upon.
Safe to say, it is going to take a massive haul to acquire Skubal, even for one season.
(AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
The Brewers have been pretty consistent when it comes to handling pitchers set to make a lot of money. Milwaukee traded Corbin Burnes a year before he hit free agency. They did the same with closer Devin Williams last winter. They previously traded closer Josh Hader in-season while still alive in a pennant chase.
Peralta was Milwaukee’s ace over the past two years since Burnes’ departure, and he is now a season away from hitting free agency as a 30-year-old. The Brewers picked up his $8 million team option for 2026, but recent trends suggest he is a prime trade candidate despite leading Milwaukee to the 2025 NLCS.
The right-hander had a terrific campaign, starting 33 games with a 2.70 ERA. He has thrown at least 165 innings in each of the past three years, reaching the 200-strikeout benchmark in all three. He made the All-Star team for the second time in his career this past season and should finish top five in the NL Cy Young voting.
The Brewers received a haul of young shortstop Joey Ortiz, pitcher DL Hall and the No. 34 pick for Burnes, who had a higher pedigree than Peralta at the time of his trade to Baltimore.
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said at his end-of-season press conference that trading Peralta was “not at the front of my mind” and also “it’s something where you can never shut the door on anything in our situation.”
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Gore is 26-year-old left-hander who made the All-Star team in 2025 and has two years of club control remaining. He was phenomenal through the first half of 2025, throwing to a 3.02 ERA in 19 starts. He tailed off in the second half, largely due to a couple grisly eight-run performances, but he finished the year with solid strikeout numbers (27.2%) as he continued to show an ability to produce whiffs on his breaking stuff.
The Nationals lost 96 games in 2025 and have not fielded a winning team since their 2019 World Series. They have a new front office and manager, and Gore appears to be their most prized trade asset among players with free agency in sight.
Ryan was entrenched in trade rumors at the deadline given Minnesota’s aggressive sell-off, but he stayed put.
Like Gore, the 29-year-old made his first All-Star game in 2025 and will be a free agent following the 2027 season. Ryan threw a career-high 171 innings in 2025 with a 3.42 ERA. He’s worked a 3.50 ERA over the past two seasons as he has proven himself as a consistent top-of-the-rotation pitcher.
Simply put, he’s struck out a lot of batters (27.8%) without walking many (5%). He deployed a top-10 most valuable fastball, per Statcast’s run value metric. Opponents hit .204 against it.
Joe Ryan, K'ing the Side in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/95mZceRuAg
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 14, 2025
Cabrera has three more years under team control with Miami, and the 27-year-old is coming off his best overall season.
The right-hander threw a career-high 137.2 innings with a 3.53 ERA and 3.83 FIP. He dropped his walks to a career-best 8.3% while maintaining an above average strikeout clip. By Statcast’s run value, Cabrera sported the fourth-most valuable curveball in MLB, a pitch opponents hit .142 against with a 45% whiff rate.
Injuries have played a role in his limited innings output, as he had not reached 100 frames in the major leagues before 2025, but his stock is at a high point.
Edward Cabrera's 9th, 10th and 11th Ks. 😲 pic.twitter.com/d8PEiLSYPK
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 9, 2025
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Lopez has two more years under contract with Minnesota at $21.75 million per year. The 29-year-old missed most of the 2025 season but was effective when healthy with a 2.74 ERA in 14 starts. He made three starts at the end of the season and should have a normal offseason.
The veteran has not worked an ERA above 4.08 since 2019, as his ERA over the last six seasons is a solid 3.61.
Keller has three more years on his deal with Pittsburgh, and his salary climbs to $15.9 million in 2026, $18.4 million in 2027 and $20.4 million in 2028.
The right-hander has been in trade rumors for years, as the Pirates have pitching depth and a perennial need for offensive help. Keller is not an ace, but he has been consistent. His ERA has been between 3.91 and 4.25 in each of the past four seasons, including an All-Star campaign in 2023. He’s averaged 177 innings per season in that span.
Gray is 36 years old and very expensive, due $35 million in 2026 with a $30 million team option for 2027. But he has been one of the more reliable top-end arms in the big leagues for a long time.
His 4.28 ERA in 2025 was his highest since 2018, but he pitched 180 innings with better peripherals (3.39 FIP). Trading Gray to anyone but the top spenders in baseball may require the Cardinals to eat some of the money, perhaps in exchange for a better package.
Sonny Gray, K'ing the Side in the 3rd. 🌞 pic.twitter.com/P4Wx99rMWb
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 11, 2025
Severino turned a resurgent 2024 season with the Mets into a three-year, $67 million deal with the Athletics, which includes a $22 million player option for 2027. Severino turned in an okay 2025 season with 4.54 ERA in 29 starts, pitching in a hitter-friendly home ballpark.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Alcantara had a special 2022 season in which he threw 228.2 innings with a 2.28 ERA to win the NL Cy Young award. He took a step back in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2024. Alcantara came back in 2025 to miserable results: a 7.22 ERA at the All-Star break.
The Marlins held onto him at the trade deadline, and he — like Gallen in Arizona — was way better down the stretch. Alcantara delivered a 3.13 ERA over his final 12 starts. His command improved, he limited the walks while racking up a higher rate of strikeouts and ground outs.
Sandy Alcantara tonight: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
Alcantara's last three starts: 20 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 4 BB
His 101st pitch of the night was 99 mph. 2022 Sandy has been on display as of late. pic.twitter.com/1NHOybzutR
— Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) August 27, 2025
At his best, Alcantara is an elite ground ball pitcher.
The 30-year-old makes $17.3 million next season with a $21 million club option for 2027. That’s reasonable for the caliber of pitcher Alcantara was over the final 10 weeks of the year, but are his first-half struggles behind him or a risk?
