The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly in the market for a middle infield upgrade this offseason, and a new trade pitch aimed at the Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks would deliver just that, but at the price of a Toronto fan favorite.
Arizona’s Ketel Marte would move to Toronto for Ernie Clement and a teenage pitching prospect, according to the trade pitch published Thursday by Baseball Trade Values, which grades the deal as an even swap for the Blue Jays and Arizona.
Arizona wants pitching and payroll relief, according to The Arizona Republic, and this package supplies neither in volume, which leaves the question hanging — would the Diamondbacks accept an even deal on paper?
Toronto Blue Jays’ Ketel Marte Trade Value
The Baseball Trade Values calculator values Marte at 2.0, built on a 76.8 asset value against 74.8 in salary. Clement checks in at 1.8. Miguel Pantoja, an 18-year-old right-hander Toronto signed in February 2025, supplies the last 0.2.
Pantoja went 3-2 with a 4.75 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 47.1 innings between the Florida Complex League and Class A Dunedin this season, according to MiLB.com‘s Pantoja page.
Marte, 33, hit .249/.316/.432 with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs in 141 games. The quality of his contact told a better story. His .349 expected weighted on-base average landed in the 85th percentile, per Baseball Savant data, and he struck out just 13.8% of the time. Marte also graded as a solid defender at second base, with positive outs above average.
Marte carries a career .277/.347/.468 line with 193 home runs, two Silver Slugger awards and the 2023 National League Championship Series MVP trophy.
Marte signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension in April 2025, according to The Associated Press. Roughly $87.5 million remains over five seasons, and his 10-and-5 rights let him veto any trade, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
The deal includes deferrals, escalators and an $11.5 million player option for 2031. His salary starts around $12 million to $13.75 million in 2027, then climbs to $20 million, $22 million and $22 million in the seasons that follow. Toronto has absorbed expensive, declining assets before, including Andrés Giménez and Shane Bieber, according to The Athletic.
Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte Trade Motivation
Arizona is trying to cut payroll and has steered trade talks toward pitching, according to The Arizona Republic. Marte’s repeated absences complicate the picture. His August no-show for a game in Boston led to the restricted list and then the injured list with a knee issue, and the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs by a narrow margin.
Toronto fielded baseball’s worst offense this season, scoring just 648 runs, and the middle infield was a leading cause, according to The Athletic. The same analysis points to a family tie as a reason Marte would waive his veto. He is married to a cousin of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and played alongside the Blue Jays slugger for the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement Factor
Clement batted .259/.285/.364 with nine home runs and 48 RBIs in 158 games. His OPS+ of 78 sits well below Marte’s 107. Clement also finished with negative defensive metrics at second base after a strong first half faded. He earned about $4.6 million this season and remains under club control through arbitration at moderate cost.
The numbers understate his place in Toronto. Clement started at second base for the American League at the All-Star Game and set a postseason record with 30 hits in 2025, according to MLB.com.
The calculator says even. Last offseason, Toronto balked when Arizona asked for controllable starting pitching, according to The Athletic, and this package contains no controllable starter.
Blue Jays Trade Pitch Sends Ernie Clement for 3-Time All-Star Ketel Marte