Padres’ division rival seems poised to lose a superstar as drama mounts

The Arizona Diamondbacks entered the 2025 season with high expectations, but those quickly went up in smoke as the team sat at 51-58 ahead of the trade deadline. With playoff hopes quickly fading, GM Mike Hazen dealt away players who were on expiring contracts. Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, Merrill Kelly, and Shelby Miller all found new homes as a fire sale broke out.

Hazen planned to retain only players who were under contract for the long term, relying on players such as Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte to be the cornerstones of the franchise. Marte, in particular, has had a career year at the plate, and is locked in as Arizona’s second baseman of the long-term future. The 31-year-old signed a six-year contract extension worth $116 million back in April, he was the team’s future at the position.

When The Arizona Republic reported on Friday that teammates within the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse were upset with Ketel Marte’s tendency to miss games, it didn’t seem like much at first glance, and it seemed that tensions could be resolved rather quickly.

But when Bob Nightengale of USA Today provided more context on the situation as part of a section of his column titled Around the Basepaths, it seemed that Marte’s reputation with the club was changing.

Ketel Marte's drama in Diamondbacks' clubhouse is growing more concerning

“The worst-kept secret in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization is out: They will listen to offers on All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte this winter, knowing that while Marte is extremely talented, he can be a diva in the clubhouse, agitating his teammates and coaching staff,” said Nightengale.

Marte has overcome his fair share of adversity during the 2025 season, but it never impacted his on-field performance. It all started when he pulled up with a limp in his hamstring during the series opener on the road against the Washington Nationals, forcing him to miss about a month’s time. But this was nothing compared to some of the other instances of affliction that Marte had been through.

During the team’s six-game road trip featuring a stop in Chicago, Marte was seen breaking down in tears on the mound while manager Torey Lovullo was making a pitching change. It was later reported that a fan had made a comment about Marte’s late mother, who had passed in 2017, which left him visibly distraught. The fan was ejected from the Rate Field and received an indefinite ban from all 30 MLB ballparks.

A little less than a month later, it was reported that Marte’s residence in Scottsdale, Arizona, was broken into while he was in Atlanta for the All-Star break, where about $400,000 in belongings were stolen. Six days later, Marte was placed on the restricted list, meaning he would miss time while dealing with the matter.

So it wasn’t as if Marte was missing games without a valid reason; the MLB superstar had been met with tough challenges throughout the season. With the reports hinting that the front office may have other ideas regarding Marte’s future, there is no guarantee that he is actually heading out the door. But it certainly makes you wonder what moves could be coming.

Arizona shortstop Geraldo Perdomo came to Marte’s defense in a postgame interview following the team’s 6–5 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

 “It’s going to be for all the reporters and writers. This is the second time something came out about Marte,” said Perdomo. “Please, he just wants to play baseball. I don’t want to speak as a team, but as a brother.”

While Perdomo defended Marte individually, he is not to speak for the entire team or coaching staff. As we are still learning more information on this developing story, it goes to show that where there is smoke, there is fire. It will certainly be interesting to see what else comes to light as we enter the final stretch of the regular season.

It's been a rough year for Arizona, and for Marte. They have essentially removed themselves as legit playoff contenders, leaving way for the Padres and Dodgers fighting in the NL West. The Friars have dealt with some nightmare situations this season, but not compared to the Diamondbacks. It should serve as a lesson: It can always be worse.