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Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte defended himself to the media on Monday after an Arizona Republic report last week claimed “teammates and others in the organization have quietly grumbled about his propensity to ask for days off.”
Adding fuel to the fire, USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote on Sunday that Arizona's alleged plan to listen to trade offers for Marte this winter is “the worst-kept secret” in their organization.
“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,” he wrote.
Speaking through his interpreter, Marte said that his priority is to keep playing hard and winning games. He added that his past injuries mean that by taking occasional days off, it will benefit him down the road.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo also addressed the media before Arizona's game at home Monday night against the Cleveland Guardians. He began his availability by saying he wants to address the “elephant in the room.”
“I know Ketel talked to you guys and I’m proud of him for doing that,” he said. “That’s not easy for him to do and I know he showed some vulnerability. I’m really proud off him for digging in the way that he did.”
Lovullo then defended Marte before turning the focus over to “playing good baseball.”
“What I will say about Ketel is the things that I know,” he continued. “He’s a great teammate, he’s a great young man, he goes out there and plays hard every single day for the Arizona Diamondbacks. And he just wants to win baseball games. That’s it…It’s over. I want to put it behind us because we have baseball games we want to go out there and win. That’s our main focus.”
At 60-65 the Diamondbacks are on the periphery of the National League Wild Card hunt, 6.5 games behind the New York Mets for the final playoff spot.
