Tigers fans on board with Ketel Marte trade rumors are ignoring elephant in the room

There's a vocal segment among Detroit Tigers fans who would love to see the club swing a big trade to bring Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte into the fold. On one hand, it makes sense. As good as Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, and others are, they are complementary pieces to a true heart-of-the-order bat that is not yet present on the roster.

Marte could be that kind of impact hitter, and insider speculation has fueled fans' desire to see Detroit make a play for the dynamic second baseman. There are many roadblocks here, though.

First, there is the elephant in the room. Gleyber Torres is back and will make $22.05 million by virtue of accepting the qualifying offer. Marte is the better player, but the Tigers have bigger needs than upgrading from a perfectly fine option at the keystone. Furthermore, carrying two bloated salaries at the same position makes little sense financially.

There's a bigger issue at play, however, and it has to do with Scott Harris.

Tigers fans who believe a Ketel Marte trade is possible are ignoring the obvious

Harris is the man who holds all the cards, and as we've seen so far he's very judicious in how he plays them. Even with the Tigers ascending, he took a much-maligned conservative approach at the trade deadline, which made the second half entirely too uncomfortable.

Has that experience led him to turn over a new leaf? Don't count on it.

Harris has been emphatic that the impressive collection of blue-chip prospects Detroit has assembled that are now knocking on the door to the big leagues will be major factors in the team's 2026 plans. Could that be a smokescreen? It's possible, but not likely.

Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark are two top-10 prospects in all of baseball. Max Anderson's strong 2025 and electrifying Arizona Fall League performance have him in the conversation as well. Josue Briceño could eventually give Torkelson a run for his money at first base.

If Harris wasn't willing to part with some of these youngsters after a dominant first half of 2025, he'll be even more reluctant to part with them now, especially to solve a position that doesn't need solving.

And it will take a haul to pry Marte away. He's one of the game's very best players, but he's also the best chip that Arizona has at its disposal, by far.

Lastly, at 32 years old, Marte will soon be exiting his prime while the rest of the roster is ascending into theirs. Everything about Harris says the most important thing to him is keeping this window of contention open for as long as possible. Trading premium assets for Marte is the antithesis of that.

At the end of the day, there just isn't any logic to support this kind of blockbuster, so while it might feel good to dream, it's important to remember that it's never going to happen.