The Met Files: Starling Marte

The Met Files gives us a detailed look at each New York Met. Today we’ll be looking into Starling Javier Marte.

Starling Javier Marte is FROM SANTO DOMINGOOOOO in the Dominican Republic. He was born on October 9, 1988 - Starling turns 37 tomorrow. Marte’s story is one of under-the-radar brilliance and heartbreak in his personal life. He was raised by his grandmother after his mother passed away when Starling was just nine years old. 

He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. Marte made his MLB debut on July 26, 2012, where, on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues, smacked a home run off of Dallas Keuchel of the Astros. Marte would end up on Pittsburgh through 2019. During that time, he won two gold gloves in left field and was an All-Star replacement for none other than then Met Yoenis Cespedes in 2016. He swiped 239 bases during his time with the Pirates. When he hit his 100th career homer in 2019, he became the second Pirate ever to hit at least 100 homers and steal at least 200 bases. The first was Barry Bonds. As of today, Marte is the active leader in stolen bases. 

Marte was suspended for 80 games in 2017 for the use of Nandrolone. In a statement, he apologized to his friends, family, and the game of baseball, which I thought was a nice touch.

By the end of his Pirates career, he was playing center field because Andrew McCutcheon lost a step. Unfortunately, so did Marte - he posted a -11 DRS in his final year in Pittsburgh. 

Starling’s life was upended in 2020, and not because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In May, his wife and mother of his three children, Noelia Brazoban, died of a heart attack. He played in the shortened 2020 season despite this. On the final day of August, Arizona dealt him to the Marlins. He had two hits and scored a run in Game 1 of the 2020 Wild Card Series before a fastball broke his left hand in the ninth inning, ending his season. 

In July of 2021, Marte rejected a three-year, $30 million extension with the Marlins, which would prove to be wise. A week or so after he did this, the Fish traded him to the Oakland A’s for Jesús Luzardo. He led baseball with 47 stolen bases that year. 

Finally, we come to the Mets, who on November 30th signed Marte to a four-year, $78 million deal. 2022 was an All-Star campaign for Starling, but it came with some struggles. The grandmother who raised him passed away in May. On the first pitch he saw after he came off the bereavement list, Marte hit a home run. What’s with this guy and first pitches? Starling slowed down as his groin injury got worse and worse. It wasn’t a coincidence that the Mets stumbled towards the end of the season and lost out on the division. 2023 was a lost year for both the Mets and Marte, which was also not entirely a coincidence. He had double groin surgery during the offseason and suffered through a neck strain, migraines, and yet another groin problem. He only played 86 games that year. At least his personal life took a turn for the better- in December he re-married. 

2024 started off pretty well for the rejuvenated and healthier Starling. He provided the only hit, a home run, for the Mets on Opening Day against the Brewers. He picked up his 1500th hit and his 150th career home run. He did however miss two months with a bone bruise in his right knee. He returned to the team in mid-August and was his old self, more or less. He would end up playing 94 regular season games. In the playoffs, he had his moments. In the deciding third game of the Wild Card Series against Milwaukee, Marte provided an insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI single to score Jesse Winker. In Game 5 of the NLCS, he hit three doubles. 

Before the 2025 season, with Juan Soto taking over right field duties, there was a lot of talk that Marte would be traded before the final year of his contract. It would be a good thing that David Stearns and the front office did not go that route. Marte instead turned out to be a key off the field mentor to Soto, who is also from Santo Domingo. He was so important to Soto that the generational talent told reporters that Marte was the true leader of the Mets. With the exception of two weeks over the summer, Starling was able to stay on the field all year long, thanks to primarily serving as the designated hitter and only occasionally playing the outfield. He finished the season with a 111 OPS+ and a 1.0 bWAR despite only having 293 at-bats. 

Starling Marte is not the dynamic five-tool player he once was. I consider myself grateful for witnessing the first two thirds of his 2022 campaign, when he seemed to be firing on all cylinders. He was a joy to watch, and occasionally, we get glimpses of what was all over again. He’s about to be a free agent. His influence on Juan Soto will definitely give Stearns second thoughts about just letting the “old” man go, especially if Soto’s protection in the lineup, Pete Alonso, walks away. And on the field, Marte proved he can stay healthy and produce when given rest and a reprieve from playing the outfield every day. 

RHP Wander Suero elected free agency.

The St Lucie Mets, their mascot Klutch specifically, is mocking LeBron’s #seconddecision 

Ron Darling said there’s a “100 percent” chance Keith Hernandez will return to the SNY booth. What I found most interesting is that a Chicago radio station asked him about that.

Carlos Delgado kibbitzed with Horwitz to promote the upcoming Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico exhibition at Citi Field next month. Delgado will be managing PR.

Happy 32nd birthday to Mets first base coach and stolen base whisperer Antoan Richardson!

On this day 25 years ago, Bobby Jones threw a complete game one-hit shutout against the Giants to move the Mets onward to the NLCS. Yes, I was there.

On this day in 1973, Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson got into an honest to goodness bruhahah at second base during Game 3 of the NLCS. 

Three years ago tonight, Jacob deGrom struck out eight in six innings in his final appearance in a Met uniform. The Mets forced a third game in the Wild Card Series against the Padres.