Rays Face Exorbitant Asking Price To Land Hunter Goodman
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The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the teams that are in the market for a catcher ahead of the MLB trade deadline this year.
They have sent a scout to watch Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins play. He has been the most popular trade target behind the plate, along with Tyler Stephenson of the Cincinnati Reds. The market is thin, but there are several teams looking for an upgrade.
One player who teams will inquire about but may not have much success in trade talks for is Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are receiving trade calls on him, with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox being among the other teams to reach out.
However, the asking price is through the roof currently. As shared by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), there is no urgency on Colorado’s side to move him, so they are asking for the moon, and if someone meets it, so be it.
Asking price for Hunter Goodman is very high
“The Rockies, however, face no urgency to move Goodman, who is under club control for three additional seasons. So, they’re asking for multi-player packages led by teams’ No. 1 prospects — outfielder Theo Gillen from the Rays, Franklin Arias from the Red Sox and so on,” Rosenthal wrote.
Tampa Bay has given no indication they are willing to part ways with their No. 1 prospect, who has shot up rankings this year. But if they were to entertain the idea of trading Theo Gillen, Goodman is the kind of player it would be for.
Someone who has multiple years of team control and addresses a current and long-term need at the Major League level. A two-time All-Star, Goodman is the exact kind of middle-of-the-order bat the Rays have been seeking, and it comes at a position of need.
What makes him so intriguing is that his performance isn’t a product of playing half his games at Coors Field, one of the friendliest hitters’ ballparks in the league. In 2026, he has actually performed better on the road with a .273/.341/.581 slash line with 18 home runs in 220 plate appearances.
So good, man 💪 https://t.co/RSFN0ehURJ pic.twitter.com/GiZCeCkj9d
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 26, 2026
At home, he has a .233/.310/.506 slash line in 197 plate appearances with 12 home runs. Moving from Coors Field to Tropicana Field doesn’t seem like it would be much of a drag on his overall production.
Catcher has been an issue basically since the franchise’s inception. However, that is something that looks like it could change in the near future with top prospects Nathan Flewelling and Caden Bodine both performing at a high level in the minor leagues.
Their production isn’t keeping Tampa Bay from making a move to add a catcher to the Big League roster, knowing they are still a few years away from making an impact at the highest level. But it is certainly something in the back of the minds of the decision-makers, especially when it comes to trading away Gillen.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.