Why a Ketel Marte Trade Is Perfect for the Blue Jays
Ketel Marte needs a change of scenery and the Blue Jays desperately need an impact bat this winter. This could be a match made in heaven.
Ketel Marte and the Toronto Blue Jays seem like a match made in heaven. But why is the fit so strong?
Plain and simple, Toronto’s offence was bad last year. Worst offence in baseball, bad. That can be attributed to several things, but one is their production at second base.
What Marte Brings
That’s where Ketel Marte comes in. The switch-hitter, who turned 33 in October, is coming off a season in which he hit .249/.316/.432 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI. He’s also under contract until 2030 (with a player option for 2031), for $87.5 million, but his base salary in 2027 is just $13.75 million. His season-by-season numbers do increase (as will his age), but he doesn’t make $20 million+ until 2028.
There’s also the family connection. Marte is married to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s cousin, and who better than family to help turn things around after a down season? Not to mention, the two shared the infield for the Dominican Republic during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Connections to Vladdy aside, the major thing Marte would do is add some thump to a position that hasn’t had it for a while.
Adding Offence at Second Base
Last season, the Blue Jays’ second basemen combined put together a line of .255/.293/.397, with 16 home runs. Marte hit his 16th home run on June 29th; that’s already an improvement.
As you can see from the slash line, slugging was a major issue. This has plagued Toronto for years; the last time their second baseman slugged above .400 was in 2021, when Marcus Semien hit 45 home runs. Marte has had a slugging percentage above .400 for 10 consecutive seasons (.423 in 2026).
He’s not just strong offensively; on the defensive end in 2026, he was worth +4 Outs Above Average and +5 Fielding Run Value.
Red Flags
That’s not to say there aren’t reasons to baulk. Marte himself is coming off a down season, and isn’t getting any younger. While he received MVP votes in 2024 and 2025, there were points in 2026 when he wasn’t receiving playing time. Off-the-field antics (including a no-show) have muddied the waters on Marte, but it’s unclear how much of that was due to his fit with the Diamondbacks.
The decision will come down to Marte’s preferences. He earned his full 10-and-5 rights in April, meaning he has full no-trade protection. If he is assured by Toronto that he can get every-day playing time (and no reason to take an unplanned sabbatical), I’m sure that Arizona and Marte would be all over it.
There’s a difference between bringing Marte in and splashing in free agency for someone like Brandon Lowe or Jazz Chisholm Jr. While you’d likely be spending less per season on Marte, his acquisition would mean that Toronto is sending assets to Arizona. While Toronto has a surplus of outfielders, they’d have to attach some prospects if they wanted to make talks serious, and that could include young controllable arms such as Nolan Perry and Johnny King.
However, Marte’s value is not close to what it once was. It seems like things reached a breaking point when he was placed on the Restricted List in August, and when he returned on August 31, he slashed just .247/.324/.366 with one home run for the remainder of the season. In the end, it’s going to come down to how much Arizona views that final month as an indication of his future.
The Fit with Toronto
So, what does the Blue Jays lineup look like with this major addition? Realistically, they’d be sending one of Addison Barger or Nathan Lukes to Arizona. Other than Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks don’t have many impact bats from the left side, and either of those would help with that. Additionally, the Snakes only had 3 batters with 20+ homers in 2026 (one of whom was Marte). Barger is much more likely to hit that number than Lukes.
Barger might also find his path to playing time blocked in Toronto. Gone are his days at third base (thanks to Kazuma Okamoto), but manager John Schneider has mentioned that Barger could see some reps in centre field. That’s a big ask for a player who’s never appeared at the position and only played in 9 games in 2026. He turned 27 on the 12th of November (happy birthday!), and wouldn’t require as much prospect capital to balance out a trade. For obvious reasons, Barger would be the one Arizona would covet the most, as he’s the bat with more thump, is younger, and isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2028.
If Toronto pushed for Lukes, they’d have to attach quite a few sweeteners to make the match work. As of right now, Arizona’s first baseman in 2027 is Tim Tawa; I’m sure they’d love a young bat such as Sean Keys, who is also blocked in Toronto, to aid their lineup.
If that’s not enough, names like Perry and King would enter the talks.
Another wild-card option would be Anthony Santander. Coming off his unacceptable comments on Instagram, GM Ross Atkins has pushed for him to apologise, something that has yet to happen. Santander hasn’t had a fully healthy season since 2024, and would be able to start over in Arizona; however, he’s signed to an albatross of a contract, and I’m not quite sure any team wants him at this moment.
Don’t forget, though, that he is only two years removed from 44 home runs.
2027 and Beyond
Coming into the 2027 season, the Blue Jays outfield picture features Barger, Lukes, Santander, and Brett Bateman.
Davis Schneider, Jonatan Clase, Yohendrick Piñango, Charles McAdoo, and Josh Smith also figure into this somehow.
It makes sense that Toronto would want to improve upon that group; it’s just a matter of who is going to be swapped out.
A move for Marte also means a reduction in playing time for Ernie Clement. As much as he’s loved in Toronto, he’s better utilised as an oft-used bench bat/fifth infielder. In this role, he’d be able to platoon with Andrés Giménez at shortstop, while also plugging in whenever an infielder needs a day off (or a day at DH).
It’s time for the Blue Jays to make a major move and improve their offence in the process. If they want to contend in the near future, it’s time for a Marte Parte north of the border.
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Written by
Ethan has been writing for Just Baseball since 2026, and is one of those people who never stops talking about sports. A graduate from the College…