All of a sudden those NY Mets rumors about Ketel Marte seem more legit

It was right before Christmas, and all through the house, New York Mets rumors were swirling about a potential trade for Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. So hot at the time they could roast a chestnut, it doesn't seem as if he'll get traded at all this winter.

We all had the same question: how would he fit in? The thought was that maybe he could play center field where he had previously. Based on some of the latest rumors involving the Mets’ alternative plan, if they hadn’t done what they did last week, their answer might’ve been trading for Brendan Donovan.

According to the NY Post’s Joel Sherman, Donovan would have played left field for the Mets while giving them added depth on the infield. It’s a role Brett Baty may have instead. Clearly, the Mets don’t have much belief that left field has to be a strong defensive position if they’re going to be moving guys who either haven’t played there much (Baty) or it’s a weak position (Donovan). Perhaps this was what they wanted to do with Marte after all.

The Mets are playing others at new positions, why not Ketel Marte?

A Marte trade is no longer on the table with the Arizona Diamondbacks already dismissing it publicly while also making enough additions to suggest they’ll try to compete. They’re not going full bore this offseason at building a championship caliber roster. Their biggest move was trading for Nolan Arenado. They’ve also reunited with Merrill Kelly.

No doubt a desirable second base option for the Mets this offseason, the outfield fit was always puzzling. Marte rated negatively in his two full seasons as a center fielder. Left field is a new adventure. It requires less range, but the angle to the ball is entirely new. Marte hasn’t played the outfield since 2021. It’s a long time and kind of a waste of how good he can be as a second baseman at times.

Perhaps the Mets don’t really believe defense in left field is all that important. They didn’t trade Brandon Nimmo because of his glove. There are a lot of chapters as to why. The simplest baseball ones are it landed them a Gold Glove second baseman and set them up better contractually with a shorter deal. Marte’s contract may be long, but it doesn’t even go over $20 million until 2028. He’ll be a bargain for at least the next two seasons. As we continually see with the Mets, there are always exceptions.

Were the Mets actually in hot pursuit of Marte? No vague Mets rumors should ever be dismissed as a possibility. They’ve taken a “no stone left unturned” approach in left field. Marte would have been a different choice. He seems like a legitimate one with all of the other considerations.