Red Sox, Yankees, Rays All Chasing Same All-Star Slugger

Trade rumors have been swirling around Major League Baseball since before Opening Day even arrived. Fortunately, the noise will end in just a few days.

The 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline is scheduled for Aug. 3 and the Red Sox have already shown their cards and have proven that they are buying this summer. Boston's recent 15-game winning streak turned its season around. Since the streak wrapped up, Boston has still been very good. The Red Sox already went out and acquired Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals and are clearly looking for more.

Boston has been among the clubs out there looking for a boost behind the plate. The Red Sox have been linked to a handful of players, including St. Louis Cardinals slugger Iván Herrera. That's not all, though. It sounds like there could be an American League East bidding war on the way. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays have all shown interest in Colorado Rockies star catcher Hunter Goodman.

Who Will Land Hunter Goodman?

Jul 21, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) gestures as he rounds the bases on a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Three AL East clubs — the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees — are among the teams expressing varying interest in Goodman, according to people briefed on the Rockies’ conversations but granted anonymity to speak freely," Rosenthal wrote.

"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."

The most interesting part of Rosenthal's reporting here is the fact that all three teams have shown interest in Goodman. Arguably, the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees are the top three contenders in the American League in general right now. If the season ended today, all three would be in the playoffs, along with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and the Texas Rangers. Arguably, none of these three are bigger contenders than Boston, New York and the Rays.

So, first and foremost, we already have three different AL East teams fighting for the top spot. Because of that, it could be an arms race in the AL East this summer before the deadline. Now, it's known that all three have some interest in Goodman, which is yet another layer to the rivalry.

When it comes to Boston specifically, catcher is an obvious need, specifically offensively. Connor Wong has been better than expected this season, but Carlos Narváez has regressed after a great 2025 campaign. He's slashing .193/.261/.283 after batting .241 in 2025. Goodman makes sense on paper because he's a prolific right-handed hitter. He has 31 homers in 100 games played.

But if the price tag is No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias, Boston should avoid it. It's known that three contenders, at least are interested. The bidding war certainly could get high. The fact that Arias' name was already mentioned by Rosenthal arguably already is too much. Goodman has had back-to-back great seasons. In 2024, he had his first extended time in the big leagues and batted .190 with 13 homers in 70 games. He has three seasons of team control left. Arguably, that isn't worth the No. 7 overall prospect in the game.

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