With the Tampa Bay trading Shane Baz and Brandon Lowe recently, the team has been stockpiling prospect capital in a potential effort to acquire a big-name talent, with one player being linked is Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte. As rumors have swirled around the Rays and Marte, the latest batch of reporting suggests a potential pursuit could happen.
One of the areas that Arizona has reportedly wanted in a possible return for Marte is pitching, either MLB-ready or prospects, which Tampa Bay got in the deals for Baz and Lowe. With the Rays already having a substantial farm system, plus acquiring six prospects in the recent deals, it gives them the avenue for a huge trade, as MLB.com mentions Marte.
“The Rays already had a pretty good farm system — No. 10 in MLB Pipeline's midseason rankings — before acquiring six prospects in these two deals. That could give them the resources to complete another big trade this offseason. One notable option is a deal involving D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte,” MLB.com wrote.
The Rays and Diamondbacks had talks about Ketel Marte in the past
While the Rays are getting busy this offseason with the aforementioned trades, one could assume it's all in an effort to build up the capital to make a go for Marte. However, it seemingly won't be the first time, as apparently, Arizona and Tampa Bay had been in talks for Marte in the past.
“Parting with Lowe, the longest-tenured Rays player, leaves Tampa Bay with a massive void at the keystone spot,” the website continued. “And the Rays are one of the many teams that have been reportedly involved in trade discussions regarding the three-time All-Star. Earlier this month, the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro reported (subscription required) that the Rays and D-backs discussed a deal that included Baz and fellow starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot going to Arizona for Marte.”
The Rays are looking to improve after finishing 77-85, which put them fourth in the AL East, as obtaining Marte would give them a jolt of energy after hitting a .283 batting average with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs.
