The Tigers have said they’re planning to focus heavily on pitching this offseason, but fans are hopeful that they’ll add an impact bat to prevent what we saw in August and September from happening again: all of Detroit’s very streaky, still relatively young hitters going cold at the same exact time. Alex Bregman is expected to be on the Tigers’ radar again, though they may not have the money for him with rising arbitration costs and a bullpen to revamp. The same goes for Bo Bichette.
There’s always the trade market, but it would make even less sense for a team as prospects-first as the Tigers to make a blockbuster deal than it would for them to find some extra room in the budget for a free agent.
Still, that hasn’t stopped some national outlets from dreaming big. FOX Sports named the Tigers as one of three potential landing spots for Diamondbacks second baseman and three-time MVP candidate Ketel Marte alongside the Red Sox and Mariners.
Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen has called a Marte trade “mostly unlikely” despite some rumblings at the deadline and some reported clubhouse conflicts between Marte and his teammates. John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reported that “at least seven teams” have inquired about him anyway.
Marte would, undoubtedly, be a fantastic get for the Tigers, but with the prospect capital it would take to get him, the money left on his contract, and the complications it would cause for the infield, there’s almost no chance the Tigers would make a deal for him.
Tigers named trade destination for Ketel Marte, but fans know it’s a pipe dream
Marte, who is going into his age-32 season, has a guaranteed $92 million left on his six-year, $116.5 million extension, which has an $11.5 million player option for 2031. That’s not an awful amount of money for a player who’s been excellent over the last three seasons, but it would put too much of a roadblock at second base, a position the Tigers already have a lot to puzzle out with, for too long.
Not to mention, Torres accepted the Tigers’ qualifying offer, bringing him back into the fold for 2026 at the high price of $22 million. Though Marte can also play shortstop, No. 1 prospect Kevin McGonigle, a shortstop, is well on his way to the majors.
And then there would be the cost of getting him in the first place. The Diamondbacks aren’t rebuilding and don’t strictly need to move Marte, so they could ask for anything they’d want for him and still be fine if they couldn’t find a taker.
Trading Marte is a nice idea, but if we had to guess, we’d say there’s close to a 0% chance the Tigers actually even try to do it.
