STEAL! Ketel Marte Signs Extension with the Diamondbacks!

A deal that's been in the works for only a day or two has become official. The Arizona Diamondbacks and their franchise star player has agreed on his 2nd extension with the team, this time on a 5-year deal worth 76 Million Dollars. Woo-Hoo!

Pike, as he is known, is 28 and entering his 6th year with the team. Originally acquired in November of 2016 in a trade with the Mariners that also brought Taijuan Walker to the desert in exchange for Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger, and Zac Curtis has worked out wonderfully. He's an All-Star caliber player at 2nd base which is where he started in the 2019 All-Star game. In addition to that, he was the 4th-highest MVP vote-getter.

After a failed trial run in center field that resulted in multiple injuries for Marte, he's back at 2nd full-time. Back in 2018, Marte signed an extension that bought out his 2nd and 3rd years of pre-arb, all three arbitration years, and a free agent year. It was a 5 year, 24 million dollar deal with two options, 23' option worth 10 million and the 24' option worth 12 million. As of this signing, he had already made 15 million and is set to make 8.4 million this year.

The new extension is guaranteeing those two option years meaning the actual new money on the deal is 54 million over 3 years. Assuming that it's spread evenly over those three years, Marte will make roughly 17.0 million each year. That's a massive underpay for a player of his talents as this deal buys out his prime years. As for the luxury tax hit, not that it matters, he will count 15.2 million towards the tax bill in every year of the contract. The contract takes effect starting with the 2023 season. His agency is QC Sports.

The contract will keep him in the Sonoran Desert through his age-33 season which is through the 2027 season. In fact, if he stays with the team through this entire contract, he will become the longest-tenured player in franchise history.

Ketel Marte made his debut in 2015 with the Mariners. The Dominican Republic-born player has hit a ton since making his team debut in 2017. Over his 505 Arizona Diamondbacks games, he has recorded 1,833 At-Bats, 266 runs, 540 hits, 116 doubles, 25 triples, 67 HRs, 236 RBIs, 22 SBs, 174 walks, and 283 K's, with a batting line of .295/.358/.495/.853 and a 122 OPS+. He's accumulated 15.4 WAR, 9.0 WAA, 3.2 Win probability added, and has had an impressive 42% hard-hit rate.

Marte's known for being a force at the plate in both his patience and power. Now, he will be the mainstay at 2nd base and in the center of our favorite team's lineup for years to come. I'm so thankful the team and Marte agreed to an extension. Plus, this extension shows just how much he wanted to stay in the red and black.