There are very few needle movers that can play center field on a regular basis, and Starling Marte is one.
That's why we ranked Marte, a former All-Star, as the No. 7 overall free agent this offseason, following a campaign that he split between the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics.
In his age-32 season, Marte slashed .310/.383/.458 with 12 home runs, 55 RBIs, 47 stolen bases and a career-high 5.4 fWAR. Even in his early-30s, Marte did post four outs above average in 2021, though his -4 defensive runs saved don't paint as pretty of a picture about his ability to stay in center field over the lifetime over a new contract.
If there are teams that believe that Marte can handle center field for a few more seasons, they'll jump at the chance to sign the two-time Gold Glove Award winner. While he is on the wrong side of 30, his age will likely mean that he'll require a shorter commitment than many of the other top-tier free agents. He also doesn't have a qualifying offer attached to him, so any team that signs Marte won't have to give up draft compensation, as they would if they reach an agreement with Nick Castellanos or Michael Conforto.
There may literally be a less than zero percent chance that Marte returns to Oakland this winter, meaning he'll be looking for the fifth team of his career. Here are four potential landing spots for one of the top outfielders on the market:
Philadelphia Phillies
Starling Marte is a free agent.(Nic Antaya/Getty Images)The Phillies reportedly showed interest in Marte this past summer, and their need in center field has hardly subsided. Odúbel Herrera elected to become a free agent after being outrighted, and neither Adam Haseley or Mickey Moniak has shown nearly enough to enter 2022 as the favorite for any starting outfield position. For a team that's desperate to make the most of the peaks of Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler -- but would probably also prefer not to give away draft compensation -- Marte makes quite a bit of sense.
New York Mets
Starling Marte is a free agent.(Denny Medley/USA Today)The Mets are the one team on this list that would seemingly be signing Marte with the expectation that he plays primarily at a corner outfield position, given that Brandon Nimmo has emerged as one of the game's best center fielders. That's fine, Marte might fit even better at a corner outfield spot, and certainly will during the later years of any contract. This, of course, is contingent on Michael Conforto declining the qualifying offer. If that happened, the Mets could sign Marte to a shorter deal than what Conforto will receive, and then collect draft compensation when he departs for another team.
San Francisco Giants
Starling Marte is a free agent.(Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)We know Marte won't be returning to Oakland, but don't rule out the entire Bay Area just yet, especially given that the Giants were connected to Marte in the summer. The Giants could just stick with Steven Duggar and Austin Slater in center field, especially given that president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has said that starting pitching will be the team's No. 1 priority this offseason. But you know that the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres probably won't be quiet this offseason, which means that if the Giants hope to stay at the top of the National League West, they could stand to upgrade in center field. It should be noted that if the Giants re-sign Kris Bryant, they may not make another major investment in their lineup this winter.
New York Yankees
Starling Marte(Darren Yamashita/USA Today)Brett Gardner's .689 OPS in 2021 suggests that his 14th season with the Yankees may have been the final one he spends in pinstripes, while Aaron Hicks has struggled to consistently stay healthy. This may not be an area that the Yankees end up spending on this offseason, but if you get a bounce-back from Joey Gallo, he, Marte and Aaron Judge could form a pretty impressive outfield.
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