Diamondbacks' asking price for Ketel Marte puts the Mariners at a disadvantage

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ reported asking price for Ketel Marte should be music to Seattle Mariners fans’ ears… in theory. In reality, it might be exactly what pushes Seattle to the back of the line.

Arizona is finally willing to engage on Marte, but Jon Morosi of MLB Network notes the price tag is “high — with an emphasis on starting pitchers who are at (or near) the major-league level.” 

On paper, the Mariners check that box. They’ve got cost-controlled rotation pieces other clubs would line up around the block for. The problem? They have spent the last few years sending every possible signal that they don’t actually want to move a starter. 

Diamondbacks set Ketel Marte price in a way that works against the Mariners

Local reporting has already poured cold water on the idea of a major rotation shakeup, framing any big trade as more “we’ll listen” than “we’re itching to deal.” That’s a tough starting point when the D-backs are very clearly saying, “Great, now show us your young pitching.”

And it’s not as if Seattle can just pivot to the farm and overwhelm Arizona that way. Kade Anderson and Jurrangelo Cijntje are the closest things to MLB-ready arms in the system, and both are realistically mid-2026 arrivals at the earliest, far from plug-and-play options. 

Meanwhile, look at who the Mariners are bidding against. The Phillies can dangle Andrew Painter, still treated like a future frontline arm and regularly topping their prospect lists even after Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox have Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, a pair of lefties who just rocketed up their rankings and into national prospect conversations after breakout 2025 campaigns. Those are exactly the types of names that fit the D-backs’ wish list: high-upside, nearly ready, and under control for years.

Seattle’s version of that is… already in the big-league rotation.

So yes, the Mariners can put together a Marte offer that makes Arizona think. But doing so probably means tearing a chunk out of the one thing they’ve consistently gotten right: run prevention. Unless the front office is suddenly comfortable parting with Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, or George Kirby — and living with the rotation fallout — the reality is simple.

The D-backs didn’t just set a high asking price for Ketel Marte. They set one tailored to everyone else’s strengths and the Mariners’ biggest reluctance.