D-backs' renewed Ketel Marte drama proves Mariners were right to commit to Cole Young

During this past offseason, we covered the speculation surrounding the Mariners potentially trading for Ketel Marte. In the end, any chance of completing a deal was apparently scuppered by Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander's resistance in parting company with Cole Young. At the time critics believed the M's were making a mistake; these days though, not so much.

As per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Marte is still frustrating segments of the Diamondbacks organization by opting to take days off. For example, last week he sat when Shohei Ohtani pitched and then played the next day and hit a walk-off homer versus the Dodgers. It did subsequently emerge that this particular day off against Ohtani was partially a team decision, but it still continues a trend from last season which was reported as alienating his teammates.

Look, we'll readily admit we were intrigued by the prospect of adding a second baseman who averaged a 5.3 bWAR, 30 home runs and a 141 OPS+ over the past three seasons. We even reasoned the Mariners could handle any concerns about Marte fitting into the clubhouse, due to him being a former prospect in Seattle, combine with the influential leadership skills of the likes of Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford.

Now fully on board the train for the Cole Young ride in Seattle

Now though, we've done a complete 180 from suggesting the Mariners could regret not shooting their shot for Marte, to believing it was one of the best non-moves they could make. And it all comes down to how Young is performing in his first season as the full-time second baseman. He's more than justifying the M's faith in him, with his 2.2b WAR nearly tripling Marte's 0.8 in Arizona.

Sure, Young's bat is still inconsistent, but it's improved from last season and continues to trend in the right direction. And while Marte is still more explosive offensively, the 22-year-old Young does have a higher batting average and OBP compared to his peer in the desert.

Then there's the defense. Young has proven to be a highlight reel at second base for the Mariners, with his 12 DRS four ahead of second place at his position. His OAA is effectively the same as Marte and his defense has just been next level in general. We're not questioning the metrics anymore, and keep in mind he's 10 year's younger than the 2023 NLCS MVP and under team control through 2031.

As for our aforementioned attempt to rationalize adding Marte to the Mariners clubhouse dynamic, we don't actually know how they would have handled his apparent lone wolf vibes. This alludes to him marching to the beat of his own drum, which is not what this M's team is about. It's also in stark contrast to Young embracing Julio Rodríguez brief and sharp directive that he needed to come back bigger and stronger this season.

As soon as Young turned up in Peoria for spring training, it was clear he'd taken Rodríguez's advice seriously, and the Mariners have been reaping the benefits ever since. Ultimately, not trading for Marte is yet more proof that more often than not, the front office in Seattle knows what it's doing.

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