Many of you don’t get it, but baseball is a wonderful laboratory for general ethics problems, revelations and teachable moments. To wit…
Ketel Marte, 32, is one of the top second basemen in baseball, indeed one of the top players in the game at any position. However, Marte failed to show up for a game last week with his team, the Arizona Diamondbacks in the middle of a pennant race. He deserted his team mates without letting anyone connected with the Diamondbacks know the reason for his absence or his whereabouts for more than 24 hours. His manager, Torey Lovullo, said he was dealing with “personal problems,” then Marte was determined to be injured and was placed on the injured list. Cameras subsequently caught him enjoying himself at a casino. This isn’t the first time Marte has gone AWOL either: he did it last season too.
The Athletic, which serves as the New York Times captive sports service, asked Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen why the Diamondbacks tolerate Marte’s behavior. The answer made me nauseous.
“He’s an extremely talented player,” Hazen said Wednesday. “At some point, there’s a balance between what you are willing to deal with to get a level of production that can win you baseball games. We’re in the business of winning baseball games.”
No, no no.
Ethics Alarms 
Kettle is an odd duck. He may just be a spoiled, Hispanic, princeling baby hot dog. He’s definitely corrosive and a problem, potentially. Personally, watching him all the time, I think he’s over-rated. He seems to disappoint more often than he delivers in the clutch. Not that I am conversant in such things, but I see his WAR is 1.7. I’m guessing he will get traded this coming off season. Unfortunately, probably to the Padres, who, unlike the Diamondbacks, seem to have substantial financial resources. Or, maybe the Yankees or the Mets will take him if he’s as good as everyone says he is.
Fortunately, I don’t think he’s created a clubhouse problem. I think the rest of the team is sympathetic to what Marte has done to management and ownership. The Diamondbacks are building toward the future with a lot of young players. They aren’t going to get the third NL wildcard.
Another dynamic working in favor of the team not being torn up by Kettle’s shenanigans: The team is largely Hispanic, as is the team’s leadership. Gerardo Perdomo is reputedly the team leader. I think he and the other Hispanic guys, Eduardo Rodriquez in particular, can prevent the situation from metastisizing.