Last week, the Denver Post’s Troy Renck laid out his trade-deadline philosophy for the Colorado Rockies, writing that the team is “making progress, but (it is) time for Paul DePodesta, Josh Byrnes to flex muscles with trades.” To summarize, here’s how Renck think the Rockies should approach the trade deadline: “Other than catcher Hunter Goodman and (Chase) Dollander, no player should be untouchable.”
For me, that raised a question: How should Hunter Goodman fit into the Rockies rebuild plans? Is he a player
to build around, or is he more valuable as a trade chip that could bring back a significant haul?
He is building a solid MLB résumé. Last season, Goodman was the best player and a bright spot on a historically bad 2025 Rockies team. He also received league-wide recognition in his addition to the National League All-Star Team and his winning of a Silver Slugger.
The initial 2026 numbers indicate that 2025 was not an outlier season for the Rockies catcher; rather, this is who he is.
With the trade deadline in mind, then, it’s worth considering where Goodman is in terms of the numbers, where the demand might be for his services, and what might be the best move for the Rockies.
(All 2026 numbers are current as of Monday morning.)
Offensive numbers
As a quick refresher, Goodman finished 2025 slashing .278/.323/.520 with a 114 wRC+. He also hit 31 homers in 579 plate appearances. Add to that a K% of 26.3% and a BB% of 5.7%. Also notable were his home-road splits. Goodman hit 13 homers at Coors Field compared to 18 homers on the road, so Coors did not have a significant effect on that part of his game. However, when considering his overall numbers, he was roughly the same wherever he played: .307/.356/.526 (116 wRC+) at Coors and .248/.356/.515 (118 wRC+) on the road.
In other words, Goodman’s AVG and OBP were better at Coors while his SLG stayed roughly the same.
To anyone calling him a “Coors creation,” uh, no.
Now consider the numbers so far with the season just under half finished.
In 280 plate appearances, Goodman is slashing .250/.321/.536 (120 wRC+). Add to that the fact that he’s already hit 20 home runs, so he’s well on track to surpass his 2025 total.
As for his BB%, it’s 8.2% while his K% is an unseemly 33.9%, a significant increase over 2025.
In terms of his home-road splits, at Coors, he’s slashing .211/.300/.447 (77 wRC+ — you read that correctly) while on the road, Goodman is .283/.340/.609 (158 wRC+). So he has been significantly better away from Coors Field. As for home runs, he’s hit just seven of his 20 homers in Denver.
At this point, Goodman appears to be settling into another outstanding season.
Offensive numbers compared to other catchers
I was curious as to how his offensive numbers compared to those of his peers.
When compared to all other catchers, Goodman’s 2.4 fWAR ranks second among all MLB catchers. (Ahead of him is Dillon Dingler, 3.2 fWAR.) He leads all NL catchers by this metric, with William Contreras ranking second (1.6 fWAR).
His 20 home runs lead all catchers (Shea Langeliers has 18), as do his five stolen bases. (Gabriel Moreno of the Arizona Diamondbacks is next with four.) He also has the highest SLG among catchers with more than 100 plate appearances.
All of that is a long way of saying Goodman’s offensive numbers remain solid and surpass those of most other catchers.
Frankly, he should be the starting catcher for the National League at the All-Star Game next month, and it’s not even close. The fact that Goodman is currently sixth in the NL voting is, frankly, some hot garbage.
Defensive numbers
In 2025, Goodman was not an especially effective defensive catcher. In 841.1 innings behind the plate, he had -3 DRS, an FRV of 1, and a FP of .987. In other words, he was fine, but his bat more than made up for a marginal defensive performance.
Goodman said during the offseason that he had worked hard on the defensive side of his game, and the initial results are promising. In 406.2 innings caught, he has 1 DRS, an FRV of 0, and a .980 FP.
Granted, defensive metrics have their issues, but Goodman appears to have improved. Only Austin Wells has more DRS (3) while Goodman is tied with JT Realmuto and Dingler.
ABS Challenge numbers
That brings us to Goodman’s success with the ABS Challenge system, which Statcast tracks. (For the purposes of this column, I’m leaving out pitch framing.)
Overall, he ranks fourth on Baseball Savant’s leader board (behind Tyler Stephenson, Dingler and Salvador Perez). Goodman has won 35 of the 55 challenges he has issued, which gives him a 64% success rate. Twelve of those challenges have resulted in strikeouts.
MLB is early in its analysis of this particular metric, but the initial results suggest that Goodman is an exceptional challenger. (Is that even the correct term?)
Trade possibilities
So, yes, Hunter Goodman is a serious trade candidate. Goodman’s offensive bona fides are unassailable, his defensive numbers are improving, and his ABS Challenge numbers are at the top of the league — plus he’s not a free agent until 203o.
The next question, then, becomes whether there’s a market for his services.
The experts think there is.
Here’s Jeff Passan on June 4: “[F]or a team with a hole at catcher, Hunter Goodman could be had for a hefty return.” Add to that Mark Feinsand from last week:
The Rockies have shied away from trading Goodman in the past, but under new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, anything is possible this summer – even moving a player many deem untouchable. An All-Star and Silver Slugger recipient last season, Goodman has continued to hit this year, belting 18 home runs with an .837 OPS in 63 games. Goodman’s defense is slightly below average, but his bat would make him an appealing asset to a lot of contenders and he is under club control for three more seasons.
Which contending teams have been weakest at catcher so far?
There are three obvious choices in terms of catcher rankings by fWAR: New York Yankees (0.1 fWAR), Tampa Bay Rays (0.5 fWAR), and Pittsburgh Pirates (0.7 fWAR). (For those keeping score at home, the Rockies are ranked third in MLB with 2.2 fWAR at the catcher position.)
The Yankees and the Rays have long been trading partners with the Rockies, and as for the Pirates, well, seeing Hunter Goodman on that roster would be a treat.
The closest comparator I could come up with for a Goodman trade was the Miami Marlins sending JT Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. At the time, Realmuto was 28 and under team control until 2020. In return, the Marlins received catcher Jorge Alfaro, RHP Sixto Sanchez, LHP Will Stewart, and $250,000 in international bonus slot money.
Any trade for Goodman should surpass that.
Conclusions
Questions about whether Hunter Goodman could develop into an elite catcher have been answered with a resounding “yes.”
That voters have overlooked Goodman on their All-Star Game ballots is an insult to a talented young catcher. But for the Rockies (who, in case you’ve forgotten, are carrying three catchers on their roster), the better question is whether Goodman should remain with the team.
I’m a serious Hunter Goodman fan, but the only real answer for a rebuilding organization is that if the Rockies receive the right offer, he should finish on the roster of a contending team (with a deep farm system).
I am certain you will let me know in the comments your stance on this, and I look forward to reading what you have to say.
Vote early, vote often
Before writing this, I knew Hunter Goodman was having a really good year, but I truly did not realize how good. Based on the numbers we have right now, he should be the starting catcher at the All-Star Game for the National League, and it’s not even close.
So, vote! You — and all your friends and family — may do that at rockies.com/vote.
Clint Hurdle talks Paul Skenes, Rockies Rebuild, Bobby Witt, Jr. and Mike Trout | ActionNetwork.com
If you’re curious as to what’s on Clint Hurdle’s mind these days, Kyle Odegard’s got you covered. Hurdle praises the Rockies new front office and gives his thoughts on Mickey Moniak and Chase Dollander.
Chase Dollander expected to undergo UCL surgery | MLB Trade Rumors
We’re still waiting for the official word from the Rockies, but Anthony Franco outlines what we know so far.
Dodgers Testing Calling Pitches From Dugout For Single-A Affiliates | Dodger Blue
Back when the Rockies started doing this, Ryan Spilborghs said he thought all MLB teams would follow suit in three years. Here we go.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
