2025 was the last season Star MarteA four-year, $78MM contract with the Mets, and while Marte hoped to play for many more years, there was no public buzz about his free agency this winter. Things could change now, however, as reporter Yancen Pujols reports that Marte and the Royals are in contract talks.
Now entering his age-37 season, Marte’s time in New York was defined by injuries, as he played in just 396 games over his four-year tenure. Groin problems were the source of many of Marte’s problems, as surgery on both his left and right hamstrings following the 2022 season did not completely correct the problem, as the injury recurred in 2023. Marte also missed time with a neck strain, migraines, and a bone injury in his right knee, and the Mets made him a full DH injury waiver for Marte. 2025.
Marte still played 12 games in the outfield last year, and if the Royals need outfield help, Kansas City could consider giving him more time on the turf in 2026 if the two sides reach an agreement. After getting both hit-switch Isaac Collins and hitting with the right hand Lane Thomas this winter, the Royals’ primary outfield looks like Collins in left field, a defensive specialist Kyle Isbell in the middle, with Thomas and swinging left Jac Caglianone perhaps in the case of a platoon in the right field. Salvador Perez and high hopes Carter Jensen will handle the catching duties, and whoever isn’t behind the plate will probably get a lot of DH at-bats.
It would add to another part-time role for Marte, although there is an advantage to having a veteran bat in the lineup. Caglianone struggled to make his major league debut in 2025, and Thomas will be missing a year due to injury in 2025. Thomas’ season was his 28-homer campaign with the Nationals in 2023, but he has posted a wRC+ of 98+ over 1900 games over the past four seasons. Collins is also far from a sure thing, as his impressive 2025 rookie season with the Brewers came despite some hard contact issues that may have been overshadowed by a .326 BABIP.
Marte hasn’t looked like a true top hitter since 2022, but he still owns a respectable slash line of .269/.331/.398 and 16 homers over 699 PA during the 2024-25 seasons, which translates to a 108 wRC+. Marte is still making hard contact at an above-average rate, even if his power (and his overall Statcast metrics) have fallen.
Whether Marte can maintain this good production in his 15th Major League season remains to be seen. It’s arguable that Collins, Thomas, and Marte are potential holdovers for KC given how little the Royals have gotten out of their outfield mix over the past few years, and Caglianone is still an excellent prospect with breakout potential.
Marte’s next contract will be a one-year deal worth around a few million dollars in guaranteed money, likely with built-in bonus clauses based on plate appearances. The Royals’ payroll currently sits at around $149.2MM (according to RosterResource estimates), which represents a slight increase from their $139.8MM figure from 2025. This follows owner John Sherman’s comments from October about the salary likely staying in the same general range, which left the front office a little limited in pursuing the help they needed.
