The Case For and Against the Rockies Trading Hunter Goodman

The trade deadline is almost here, which means the Colorado Rockies are on the clock.

With one of the worst records in baseball, it's expected that the team will sell pieces on Aug. 3. That's completely understandable. Giving up on this season and building for the future is a smart, forward-thinking move.

But which pieces are the Rockies going to deal? How big of a swing are they willing to make? That's the real question as the deadline approaches, and one name in particular has repeatedly come up in those conversations: Hunter Goodman.

Here are the pros and cons of trading away Goodman, perhaps the greatest catcher the Rockies have had in ages.

The Pros

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The return the Rockies could get for Goodman has the potential to be franchise-altering. Not only is he controllable through 2030, making him an extremely valuable asset, but he's also never been viewed this highly on the open market. Contending teams would be crawling out of the woodwork to acquire a catcher who's launched 30 or more home runs over the last two seasons. Those players are few and far between, after all, making Goodman one of the rarest commodities in all of the sport.

To put into perspective just how good of a haul the Rockies could receive for Goodman, consider this proposal by The Athletic's Jim Bowden. Colorado sends Goodman to the Boston Red Sox, and in return receives LHP Connelly Early, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, SS Marcelo Mayer and C Carlos Narváez.

Pretty much every single one of those names is someone who is young and has a ton of potential for the future. Early, who is just 24 years old, has shown flashes of brilliance throughout 17 starts so far this season for Boston. The same principle applies to Mayer, who was one of the top prospects in baseball before making his debut in 2025. Witherspoon is a top-five prospect in the Red Sox organization who's been tearing up the minor leagues, too. All in all, it would be a pretty good haul.

There's certainly no guarantee that the Rockies can get something like that for Goodman on the open market, but it's more likely than not. To some, that's good enough reason to pull the trigger and ship Goodman away. At the same time, there's plenty of reason to want him to stay long-term.

The Cons

There's really only one con to getting rid of Goodman, and it holds a ton of sway: He's an amazing baseball player who can help the Rockies win now and in the future.

Yes, this season of Rockies baseball is lost. But there's no telling what 2027 and 2028 will bring. If the team is good at that point, wouldn't it be nice to have Goodman in the lineup and behind the plate, ready to mash baseballs at a moment's notice?

While there is an argument that Goodman's performance will only decline from here — meaning that trading him is the smartest choice at this juncture — the Rockies can't operate under that assumption. The hope and belief that the organization can continue to develop him into a superstar catcher must hold because, if it doesn't, the Rockies don't have much to carry into the future anyway.

In the end, keeping him presents the franchise with a cornerstone to build around. Sure, there won't be a plethora of prospects coming in that the team can mold for the future, but Goodman is one of those types of players that you don't just trade willy-nilly. He's important to what's going on at Coors Field, and that shouldn't be taken for granted.

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