Diamondbacks General Manager Drops Ketel Marte Update Amid Red Sox Interest

The last couple of weeks of the offseason have not had much movement, but rumors surrounding the Boston Red Sox continue to fly.

Ketel Marte has become a hot name on the trade block, and the Red Sox are rumored to be interested in him. According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Marte is one of the Red Sox’s primary targets. Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen dropped an update on where the team stands on trading Marte.

“We’re very likely to put an end to this shortly…” Hazen said on Tuesday, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. “But this isn’t going to continue to linger. We need to focus our offseason. Again, my gut this whole time was that (a trade of Marte) wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do.”

The Diamondbacks reportedly have a high price tag on Marte, and Hazen knows teams may not be willing to meet their demands. Hazen also noted that he has not given interested teams a deadline, but they know time is running out.

The Red Sox’s top target is reportedly Alex Bregman, and their interest in Marte seems to be as a backup plan. However, he may not be on the board much longer.

The Red Sox seemingly want Bregman back, but it may require Craig Breslow to go out of his comfort zone. Bregman wants a long-term deal and Breslow has not given out such a contract since taking over.

However, he spoke highly of Bregman at the winter meetings and knows the impact he had in the clubhouse as well as on the field. He is one of the best free agents available, and Boston would be wise to keep him around.