PHNX Daily: Ketel Marte Isn’t Going Anywhere

👋 GOOD MORNING – Well, the Cardinals might not be much closer to finding a head coach, but at least Arizona sports fans have something worth celebrating.

Ketel Marte has been removed from the trade block, and will remain with the Diamondbacks, at least for now.

A collective sigh of relief from the state of Arizona was likely heard all the way in Boston — or maybe that was drowned out by Red Sox fans’ collective groan as they watched Alex Bregman sign with the Cubs.

Let’s talk about the latest in D-backs news!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Ketel Marte Won’t be Traded by D-backs

It’s finally, finally over. On Friday, reports surfaced that the Diamondbacks had officially made their decision on a Ketel Marte trade. Marte will not be traded, and will remain with the D-backs.

For many (if not most) fans of the D-backs, this result is a massive relief. Marte, who is already an all-time Diamondbacks great for his heroics in the 2023 postseason and his consistently-high level of production, was certainly a hot commodity this offseason.

Teams were inquiring on him, and Arizona was shopping him. Don’t let GM Mike Hazen’s repeated, roundabout “of course we have to listen” (paraphrased) statements fool you, this team was most likely hoping to make a trade that would set them up for future success.

I’m not saying that means they wanted to get rid of Marte, even considering 2025’s midseason drama about his days off, but I do think there was some level of motivation to make a move before Marte’s 10 and 5 rights kicked in this season.

At the end of it, the D-backs had a high-value player on a very team-friendly contract. Trading him might have been the best way to add high-impact pitching, and a lot of it. But no team was interested in offering the package Hazen was looking for, and Arizona wasn’t willing to compromise on their massive asking price simply to get rid of their three-time All-Star, and that’s a good thing.

In fact, no one even came close.

“It never ended up getting that close,” Hazen told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. “Just sort of reaffirming what I’ve been saying the entire offseason, like my expectation was this wasn’t going to happen. I felt like I had to do my job just to listen to what people had to say. He’s a superstar player for us, and has been for a long time, and is going to continue to be.”

My Take: This was absolutely the right move, and I’m not just saying that because of how tired I was of writing about trade rumors. Marte is a superstar player, and should not have been dealt for anything less than star-level pitching. If no team offered that, there was no reason to pull the trigger unless Marte was a truly toxic presence in the locker room — and I do not believe that was the case, or even close to it.

Of course, that also took Arizona mostly out of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes, as the three-time All-Star third baseman signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs Saturday. That’s fine. He’s a great player, but if Marte had to leave for the D-backs to sign Bregman, that would still be a net loss while adding a less team-friendly contract.

Sometimes, all’s well that ends well, although I do think Hazen waited a bit too long to make the final decision on Marte. There aren’t a whole lot of reliever options left out there, and Arizona still desperately needs multiple. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Now, Marte may not have been traded, but the D-backs did make a trade this weekend…

Diamondbacks Trade Jake McCarthy to Rockies

Saturday morning, the D-backs announced a trade. Outfielder Jake McCarthy was dealt to the Rockies in exchange for right-handed starting pitcher Josh Grosz.

Grosz was part of the deal that sent third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees, and was Colorado’s No. 20 prospect, pitching in High-A in 2025.

Grosz threw to a 4.67 ERA over 22 starts in 2025, but has a high-upside fastball that reaches 95 MPH. He’s only in his second year of pro ball, drafted out of East Carolina University in 2023. He has 266 career strikeouts in 247 innings.

McCarthy, meanwhile, had some flashes of excellence with the D-backs, but will depart with a career .260/.324/.381 slash over parts of four major league seasons. He slumped hard to the tune of a .591 OPS in 2025.

Hazen told reporters he saw the deal as an opportunity to move an outfielder (of which Arizona has numerous), while bringing back some value in the process. Hazen said the D-backs like Grosz’s upside, but also cited roster logistics, with McCarthy officially out of minor league options in 2026 and beyond. Arizona’s 40-man roster sits at 39, so maybe another move is coming soon…

Also, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is “well ahead of schedule” according to Hazen. The veteran outfielder is rehabbing from his torn ACL and is making significant progress.

Quick Hits

Coaching Search Continues: The Cardinals’ list of coaching candidates has risen to 10 different names. On Saturday, Arizona completed an interview with Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, and it was reported Sunday that the Cardinals have requested interviews with two Rams coaches — OC Mike LaFleur and DC Chris Shula.

If you’re looking to keep a close eye on every name, interview request and rumor, follow along with PHNX Cardinals’ coaching tracker at the link below — updated daily by yours truly.

Arizona Cardinals 2026 Coaching Search Tracker

The Morg Claims Two More: The Suns went 2-0 over the weekend, starting with a quality 112-107 win over the New York Knicks on Friday behind a dominant 31-point game from Devin Booker. Phoenix followed that up with a balanced 112-93 win over the Wizards, as Royce O’Neale led the scoring with 19. Phoenix improves to an impressive 24-15 record on the season.:

Leap-frogs: Arizona men’s basketball improved to 3-0 in the young conference season, taking down TCU on the road 86-73. Koa Peat led the scoring effort with 20 points, with two big-time 17-point games from seniors Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso. Arizona is 16-0 and rolling with a Territorial Cup matchup with ASU on the horizon.

The Arizona women, in the absence of injured star Mickayla Perdue, fell 58-55 to UCF on Saturday, dropping to 10-6 on the year.

It’s nice to win one: Sun Devil men’s basketball won its first conference game on Saturday, sneaking past Kansas State by a score of 87-84 at home to improve to 10-6. Massamba Diop and Moe Odum both dropped 21 points, with another 18 from Anthony Johnson. The Devils will get ready for a tough matchup with their in-state rivals this week.

The Sun Devil women, meanwhile, suffered an ugly 77-46 loss to No. 13 TCU on the road last night. Molly Miller’s squad loses just its second game of the season.