It was an interesting year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They entered the final game of regular season play 1 game back of a playoff spot - they were in with a win, and a Phillies loss (neither of which happened). Missing the postseason was a tough blow, especially given the production from vetern Nolan Arenado and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Arenado had his best season since 2022, when he came third in NL MVP voting. He hit .250 with 30 home runs and an .806 OPS while being exactly who he’s always been on the defensive side of the ball, picking up 15 Defensive Runs Saved (1st in the majors).
Rodriguez had his first ever season with a sub-3 ERA, and was a winner of 16 games. He drove a rotation that was missing former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes who has been sidelined after having Tommy John surgery in 2025.
However, the Snakes lost a lot of production from switch hitting second baseman Ketel Marte who had been one of the best players in the game since 2023. His OPS fell to .748, the second lowest mark he’s posted in a full season. But the issues with Ketel Marte weren’t just his on-field production: Marte seemed to be the cause of a multitude of issues for the Diamondbacks behind the scenes and in the locker room
In mid-August, Marte was mysteriously missing during a game at Fenway while he was dealing with a knee injury. He wouldn’t have been in the lineup that day, but Marte didn’t even show up to the park. The Diamondbacks were forced to place him on the restricted list, and later the injured list.
Although Marte did apologize for his actions, the apology came many days later, and the media had already caught on to the story. Arenado also spoke about the situation on August 21, 4 days after Marte no-showed, and was very blunt, calling for Marte to own up to his actions and explain himself.
Manager Torey Lovullo also spoke about the situation, saying that he felt “betrayed” and was “extremely frustrated”. This clearly took a toll on him and was another part of the season he had to manage, separate from trying to help his team claw back into a playoff spot. In the most critical month of the season, one might argue that Lovullo had one of the hardest jobs in the game- manager and relationship coach.
Managing a clubhouse and getting everyone to buy into the mission is one of the hardest parts of the job for any leader, but a Major League manager doesn’t typically face this problem. It’s hard to watch when the manager’s professional reputation is being called into question because the expectations for the ballclub aren’t being met, when arguably the most important piece (team cohesion) is disrupted through no fault of his own.
When Marte returned to the field in Arizona, he received a series of boos from the fans- a shocking turn of events for a fanbase that had been singing his praises for the past few years.
It’s hard to say what caused Marte’s actions: maybe it was his sub-par performance compared to his career standards, or a new veteran presence stepping in this offseason in Arenado taking the leadership reigns from Marte who is still the longest tenured Diamondback. Either way, Marte’s actions caused him to fall out of favor with the fans, the clubhouse, and the community, but with 4 more years on his contract, it is unlikely Marte will be repping new threads anytime soon.
Situations like these can be catastrophic. You can’t buy chemistry, and anyone who has played the game will tell you how crucial it is to have. With this being the current dynamic of the Arizona Diamondbacks, many question what direction they will take the team in next year, and the years to follow.
One thing is for sure though: Ketel Marte will have to do a lot on the field to gain back the love of the fans- but what he does off the field might matter even more.
You are right, we can only speculate what set off Marte. I want to think that he did not knowingly want to hurt the team. I can say that being a middle/upper level manager myself (retired) in a non baseball industry, I had a staff of 9….nine different psyches, nine different motivations. It’s hard. Instead of fans booing at times for what was perceived as subpar, wax upper management and the departments receiving our support. Then again, I insulated my staff by not letting them know when some of their work wasn’t liked. I do not envy Luvello. I hope Marte thinks long and hard this off season about what is importsntbto him and the team.