Kansas City Royals
SURPRISE, Ariz.—The Kansas City Royals today announced they have signed outfielder Starling Marte to a one-year Major League contract. Marte will wear No. 0.
In a corresponding move, the Royals designated outfielder Dairon Blanco for assignment.
Marte, 37, has played 14 seasons in the Major Leagues with Pittsburgh (2012-19), Arizona (2020), Miami (2020-21), Oakland (2021) and the Mets (2022-25). He’s a career .285 hitter with a .781 OPS, and is one of only 19 players in Major League history —and the only active player —with at least 150 home runs and 350 stolen bases.
He is the Major League leader among active players in stolen bases (361), hit-by-pitches (166) and outfield assists (107), and his 55 career triples are tied with Mike Trout for the most among active players.
Marte was an All-Star with the Pirates in 2016 and with the Mets in 2022, and won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in back-to-back seasons with Pittsburgh from 2015-16.
He’s played in 25 postseason games over six different seasons, including his most recent postseason appearance in 2024 with the Mets, when he hit .277 (13-for-47) and had 9 RBI in 13 games.
Last season with the Mets, Marte hit .270 (79-for-293) with a .745 OPS in 98 games, and made starts at designated hitter (66), left field (6) and right field (2). He hit just .220 (22-for-100) over his 1st 41 games but batted .295 (57-for-193) in his last 57 games.