Starling Marte remains intriguing trade option for AL contender

The Royals tried to acquire Starling Marte in the winter but couldn’t reach an agreement with the Mets. The Mets were interested in a reliever like Hunter Harvey or Angel Zerpa, while Kansas City was looking to trade a lesser arm.

Although the Royals haven’t completely given up on the possibility of acquiring Marte, they have been actively seeking a veteran bat to hit fifth in their lineup. They made a three-year offer to Anthony Santander, who ultimately signed with Toronto. They also considered Jurickson Profar and attempted to trade for Taylor Ward from the Angels.

With the situation still unresolved, Kansas City is keeping the door open for Marte, who is nearing a return to playing in spring after dealing with a knee injury and has seen his role with the Mets reduced to a righty part of a DH platoon.

The Rangers opted not to spend big on their bullpen, signing Chris Martin and trading for lefty Robert Garcia instead. With no set closer and no plans to pursue free agent David Robertson, the Rangers are exploring other options to allocate their finances effectively.