Ketel Marte publicly apologized for leaving the Diamondbacks after the All-Star break on a mini-vacation.
Ketel Marte missed his own bobblehead promotion game.
Ketel Marte insists he still has the backing of all of his teammates.
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks went into full-blown damage control on Monday, Aug. 18 trying to defuse the escalating criticism of All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.
The Diamondbacks had several meetings throughout the day, including GM Mike Hazen huddling with manager Torey Lovullo, before Marte publicly apologized for leaving the team after the All-Star break on a mini-vacation. Lovullo also defended Marte and praised him for addressing his detractors in a separate interview.
“I’m proud of him for doing that,’’ Lovullo said. “That’s not easy for him to do, and I know he showed some vulnerability. I’m really, really proud of him for digging in the way he did.’’
There has been private criticism of Marte asking for days off when not injured since at least last season, but it intensified inside the organization when Marte took a day off before the All-Star break. He played in the All-Star Game, and without telling D-backs officials, did not fly back with his fellow All-Star teammates back to Phoenix. He instead went home to the Dominican Republic and vacationed with his family.
He told D-backs officials that he would return to Phoenix for their first game after the All-Star break, but didn’t show up at Chase Field until the following Saturday afternoon, missing both games — including his own bobblehead promotion — against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Diamondbacks put him on the restricted list without pay for the two games he missed, but was not disciplined.
While several teammates and staff members were privately infuriated with Marte’s actions, he insisted Monday that he still has everyone’s support while apologizing for his unexcused absence.
“Initially the intent was to come back on Thursday and be with his team and practice,’’ Marte said through interpreter Rolando Valles. “He wants to publicly apologize for not backing that up. I mean, he obviously knew the circumstance of his situation. He got frustrated and was in a bad spot. He truly wants to apologize for his teammates and everybody else.’’
Marte insists he still has the backing of all of his teammates despite several privately airing their criticism last week to the Arizona Republic, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. Marte has missed 168 games since 2021, including 33 games this season.
“He’s had injuries in the past and that is a plan that is being integrated within the coaching staff and himself in order to keep him on the field …’ Valles said. “It’s intended to be for recovery. In those days [off], he does everything that he needs to do in order to get himself back on the field and help the team win.’’
And for the criticism that he takes off days when he’s not hurt, including in the final week of last season when the D-backs missed the playoffs by a game, he insists it will serve as motivation.
“He can’t control the outsiders and he feels fine about the fact that his intent is always to help the team win, and support his teammates, and everyone around the team,’ Valles said. “So actually sometimes that criticism helps him be more motivated to do his job, which is helping the team succeed.’
Marte, who signed a contract extension this spring through 2031 with the Diamondbacks, also reiterated that he wants to stay with the organization. He will have full control of his fate next season when he becomes a 10-and-5 player, giving him the right to veto all trades.
“In the nine years that he’s been here,’ Valles said, “he’s always tried to play hard and support the team, teammates in the organization. … He knows the quality of people here and his goal is always to be a D-back and support the organization for as long as he stays here.’
While the Diamondbacks plan to listen to trade offers for Marte this winter, they privately believe it’s unlikely any team would offer a fair package in return for a three-time All-Star who’s under contract for six more years for $92.5 million after this season. Besides, Marte said, no one on the Diamondbacks has conveyed to him that his behavior is unacceptable.
“He feels like it’s still in good condition,’’ Valles said, about Marte’s relationship with Lovullo and the front office. “They have actually been very supportive of the time he’s been here. He’s never had an issue with a player, coach or the front office in general.’’
The Diamondbacks, 60-65 entering Monday night’s game, who traded four of their players at the deadline, including All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez, are hoping that any unrest over Marte quickly fades away and is no longer a subject for the rest of the season. Besides, for the Diamondbacks to get any serious offers about a potential Marte trade this winter, they need the criticism to halt.
“I know he’s a great teammate,’ Lovullo said. “He goes out there and plays hard every single day for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He just wants to win baseball games. That’s it. I really don’t want to say much more than that. … So I want to put it behind us because we got baseball games we got to go out there and win.’
And, yes, perhaps a trade market to build for a certain second baseman, too.
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