NEW YORK ¨C In the end, Ketel Marte wanted to be in Arizona for the rest of his career, and the D-backs felt the same way. The two sides took another step closer to making that a reality as they agreed to a contract extension that runs through 2031.
The deal is worth $116.5 million, with $46 million in deferred money that will help the D-backs get some salary relief in the short term, including $5 million this year. The new deal, which includes an opt-out after the 2030 season, adds $64 million in guaranteed money to what Marte was already under contract for.
Marte will receive $14 million this year, $15 million in 2026, $12 million in ¡®27, $20 million in ¡®28, $22 million in ¡®29 and $22 million in ¡®30. The player option for ¡®31 is for $11.5 million.
¡°The process has been an ongoing conversation for the last few weeks,¡± D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said. ¡°He expressed a desire to want to continue to stay here. We've kind of talked to him about that. We kind of went back and forth on what the terms could look like.
¡°Certainly, there's some advantageous terms in there for us as well, in terms of the deferred compensation and some of the money that got moved around a little bit to increase our flexibility for 2025 as we move through the season. So there were benefits for us on the front end of that, as well. We came to a mutual understanding of what that could look like, and things happened from there.¡±
This is the third contract extension that Marte has signed since the D-backs acquired him from the Mariners prior to the 2017 season in one of Hazen¡¯s first trades. Marte¡¯s most recent extension was a five-year, $76 million pact he signed in March ¡®22 that ran through ¡®27 with a club option for ¡®28.
When asked what he liked so much about Arizona, Marte cited the coaching staff, the medical staff and the organization in general. He also talked about his close relationship with manager Torey Lovullo, whose first year managing the D-backs was 2017.
¡°We came to the organization around the same time,¡± said Marte. ¡°I feel like at this point that Torey understands me really well physically. If I need an off-day, I don¡¯t have to talk much; Torey does a good job of feeling that and giving me a day. I don¡¯t want to lose what I¡¯ve earned with Torey so far.¡±
Marte, 31, finished in third place in National League Most Valuable Player voting last year after hitting 36 home runs with 95 RBIs and a .932 OPS. He hit .329 with two homers in the 2023 postseason to help lead the D-backs to the NL pennant.
¡°You're looking at one of the best players in the entire league,¡± Hazen said. ¡°So our ability to have one of the best players in the entire league playing on our team for a long period of time is a goal of mine.¡±
Marte is just the latest in a line of D-backs players to sign a contract extension.
Outfielder Corbin Carroll signed an eight-year deal prior to 2023, while shortstop Geraldo Perdomo inked one at the start of Spring Training for four years. Just after the season started, reliever Justin Martinez agreed to a five-year deal.
¡°We want to take these opportunities when we have the ability to do so,¡± Hazen said.
The D-backs opened the year with a club-record payroll of nearly $200 million, a stretching of the budget that managing general partner Ken Kendrick wanted given the team¡¯s playoff chances and the opportunity to sign free agent right-hander Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million contract.
The $5 million the D-backs get in salary relief from Marte this year could help Hazen make a deal at the July 31 Trade Deadline for a postseason push.
¡°This gives us more room, in terms of this year, to see what happens as we go through the season,¡± Hazen said. ¡°We certainly made a big investment at the beginning of the year, and this will give us that added flexibility as we move through.¡±