Geraldo Perdomo believes the pressure is starting to affect his Diamondbacks teammate Ketel Marte, who has been the subject of trade speculation. According to the shortstop, it’s the media that has been stirring up drama around Marte.
In his comments, Perdomo made it clear that the criticism has gone too far, urging the media to leave Marte alone: “He just wants to play baseball.” Without calling out any outlet specifically, he asked reporters to back off.
Perdomo said the defense came from him personally, not on behalf of the whole team, but as a “brother” to Marte. The second baseman is hitting .297 this MLB season with 102 hits and 23 home runs, yet has still been targeted by criticism.
Perdomo’s message for the media
“Please, please, you guys have to stop,” Perdomo said, almost in a plea for mercy toward the coverage of Marte. He emphasized that what matters most right now for the Diamondbacks is continuing to play the strong baseball they’ve shown this year.
Why the media has been critical of Marte
According to Foul Territory, much of the criticism has centered on Marte’s requests for off days during key stretches. Dan Bickley of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM also highlighted this, pointing out that some teammates were reportedly frustrated with the same issue.
“I referred to Ketel Marte as soft … for his penchant to want days off at the worst possible time,” Bickley said on July 28. “I’m not talking about one specific incident. I’m talking about the cumulative effect of having a player who constantly asks out of a lineup and having a manager who obliges him.”