Top stars name continues to surface in offseason speculation as teams reach out to the Diamondbacks about the star second baseman. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen has already made it clear pointed out a possible trade,” and reporting from Arizona indicates the club is reluctant to move third base man. Still, they are willing to take calls as part of standard due diligence. By mid-month, roughly one quarter of the league had already checked in.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, leaning into the possibility of a deal during a recent segment, mentioned that the Phillies and Blue Jays are among the clubs to inquire. That does not suggest anything is close or that Marte is a priority target. It simply notes that both teams have explored his availability and possibly gathered an idea of what the cost might be.
Philadelphia appears set across the infield with Bryce Harper at first, Bryson Stott at second, Trea Turner at short, and Alec Bohm at third, though Bohm once again enters the winter as a trade candidate. Marte has logged considerable time in the outfield, an area where the Phillies have greater need, but his metrics as a center fielder were well below average earlier in his career. With his sprint speed now down to the twenty ninth percentile ahead of his age thirty two season, a return to center seems unrealistic. Left field could be an option, especially with Nick Castellanos widely expected to be traded or released.
The appeal for Philadelphia would come from Marte’s bat rather than his glove. The switch hitting All Star has been a consistently elite offensive performer, posting a .279/.360/.498 line with a 133 wRC plus since 2021. Over the past two seasons he has been even more dominant, hitting .288/.374/.549 with sixty four home runs in more than eleven hundred plate appearances.
The fit with Toronto is particularly intriguing given the team’s efforts to retain franchise star Bo Bichette. During the postseason, the Jays shifted Andres Gimenez to shortstop while Bichette was out with a sprained PCL, and Bichette stayed at second base even after returning. Gimenez is clearly the superior defender at short, so a permanent move for Bichette could be part of Toronto’s long term planning.
While Marte is older than Bichette by four years, his contract is far more affordable. He is under control through 2031 for a total of one hundred two and a half million dollars, with the final season being an eleven and a half million dollar player option. He would turn thirty seven during that final year.
It is important to note that Toronto’s exploration of alternatives at second base does not signal a change in their intention to keep Bichette. Team leadership has repeatedly stated their desire to retain him, and their financial flexibility would support that goal even without the revenue boost from their World Series run.
If Arizona ever became serious about trading Marte, they would undoubtedly target controllable, major league ready young pitching. That is not a strength for either the Phillies or the Blue Jays. Philadelphia has top prospect Andrew Painter nearing the majors, but the team has refused to include him in trade talks in recent years. Moises Chace is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Mick Abel was moved to Minnesota in the Jhoan Duran trade.
Toronto has even less upper level pitching depth. Trey Yesavage is untouchable, Ricky Tiedemann missed the entire 2025 season after Tommy John surgery, and the Jays dealt Kendry Rojas to Minnesota at the deadline and Khal Stephen to Cleveland in the Shane Bieber trade.
There is some mild intrigue that two strong contenders have at least checked in on Marte, but there is currently no indication that a deal is realistic. Even if the Diamondbacks eventually opened the door to moving him, both Philadelphia and Toronto would face stiff competition from teams with deeper pitching resources. For now, Hazen’s own words remain the clearest signal of Arizona’s stance, emphasizing that their best players draw the most interest and that Marte is central to their future. He reiterated that sentiment in another interview, calling Marte a superstar and stressing that winning in baseball depends heavily on players like him.