The Diamondbacks and Ketel Marte agree on a five-year, $76 million extension, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. (Twitter connections) Reports emerged yesterday that Marte and the club were discussing an extension and it appears an agreement is now in place pending a physical. Marte was already under club control through 2024, on an $8.4 million salary this year, followed by $11 million in club options in 2023 and $13 million in 2024. Rosenthal said those options are now guaranteed, but with different salaries. The extension will run through the 2027 campaign, with Marte earning an additional $51 million. There is also a club option for 2028, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republicwith performance and health-related escalators that could add value to the contract.
After a dismal 2021 season that saw just about everything go wrong and the club finished with a record of 52-110, speculation turned to Marte and whether the D-Backs would cash him in for a huge potential catch. However, the club insisted they had no interest in tearing down their squad for rebuilding purposes and would instead continue to seek to build a successful team around their current core. This extension cements that practice and keeps Marte with the option to potentially add another one after that throughout his 33-year season.
There’s more to come.