Hazen saw greatness in Marte before anyone else

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PHOENIX -- When Mike Hazen completed his first trade after taking over as GM of the D-backs following the 2016 season, fans were excited about the acquisition of right-hander Taijuan Walker.

However, just as important, if not more so, to Hazen was another player that came over in that deal: Ketel Marte.

While Walker would pitch well in making 28 starts for the D-backs in 2017 -- an injury in 2018 limited him to just four more appearances before he was non-tendered after the 2019 season -- the real star in the deal was Marte.

Hazen has said that he would not have agreed to send outfielder Mitch Haniger, infielder Jean Segura and prospect Zac Curtis to the Mariners if Marte wasn't part of the deal. And while Hazen always believed in Marte's potential, few could have imagined that he would be the franchise fixture that he has become.

Certainly not Marte, who had been signed by the Mariners as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Republic.

"I felt bad at the time [of the trade]," Marte said. "I'd signed with Seattle, I was on their list of top prospects. I didn't expect them to trade me. So here I had to make new friends and so forth."

At the time, Marte was coming off his age 22 season having slashed .259/.287/.323 with just a 68 OPS+.

But Hazen saw the potential in Marte and knew that if he was going to be able to acquire a player with the upside he believed Marte had, that he had to do so before he was firmly established.

It wasn't all smooth sailing for Marte in Arizona at first. Marte did not make the team out of Spring Training, but the D-backs were surprisingly competitive in 2017 and when they lost shortstops Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings to injury, Marte came up and helped fill the void as Arizona went on to clinch an NL Wild Card berth.

It was right around the time that Marte was called up that his beloved mother passed away in the Dominican Republic. The way his teammates rallied around him during those difficult days helped build a strong bond.

For his part, Hazen wrapped up the Trade Deadline and the next morning headed to the D.R. to be with Marte during the funeral.

"Having that support, you know not only [manager Torey Lovullo], but my teammates and Hazen traveling over there, it felt so great," Marte said. "I arrived from Seattle with a 'bad reputation,' but the people here supported me. It's been great."

Since joining the D-backs, Marte has twice signed contract extensions. The most recent one came during Spring Training in 2022. The five-year, $76 million deal includes a club option for 2028.

If he continues at his current pace, Marte may end up holding the record for career bWAR by an Arizona position player. After a 3-for-4 performance that included a home run in Friday’s 7-4 win over the Brewers, Marte has a 28.0 mark with the D-backs. Paul Goldschmidt is the current D-backs bWAR leader at 39.9.

“His skill set is pretty rare in the game,” Hazen said. “I mean, being a switch-hitter who’s proficient at both sides, plays in the middle of the diamond, like you just don't run across players like that all that often."

As he went through the list of position players that Marte could pass in bWAR in Arizona history like Luis Gonzalez and Goldschmidt, Lovullo's eyes widened.

"Those are some really, really big players in this game," Lovullo said. "I feel honored to have been his manager. I've been honored to watch him progress, and I've been honored to watch him grow up and turn into the man that he is today."

The incredible season that Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is having will likely win him the NL Most Valuable Player Award, but Lovullo would like to see Marte's name mentioned.

"I want him to get some MVP consideration," Lovullo said. "I see [Francisco] Lindor gets a lot of attention, deserved attention, and Ketel's numbers are better than his in a lot of different areas. So, I just want his name to be brought up in everybody's MVP consideration."