Yankees Risk Losing Hunter Goodman to Top Rival Before Trade Deadline

Caution to Yankees fans: objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. That includes the red-hot Boston Red Sox, who have won 14 straight games and sit just 4.5 games behind New York in the standings.

Boston's epic winning streak should push Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow to be a trade deadline buyer.

Among the Red Sox's needs ahead of the deadline is at catcher. And that sounds familiar to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

That means both clubs could be chasing the same player before the Aug. 3 deadline: Colorado Rockies All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman.

Best bat on the market

The two-time All-Star is perhaps the best bat on the trade market. He's third in the majors with 30 home runs and tied for sixth with a .556 slugging percentage.

Sure, Goodman has the luxury of playing half of his games at a hitter-friendly Coors Field. But he's actually a better hitter on the road this year:

Home: .226 BA, .791 OPS, 12 HR
Road: .282 BA, .964 OPS, 18 HR

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman takes a swing in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. — Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) swings the bat in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So his production is legit. On top of that, the 26-year-old catcher has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, meaning he is under team control until 2029. And not to mention, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that Colorado "would need to be overwhelmed" to move Goodman ahead of the deadline.

Problems in the Bronx

All that bodes well for Goodman should he end up in pinstripes. And the Yankees certainly can use some production from behind the plate. The trio of Austin Wells, Ali Sanchez, and J.C. Escarra is hitting .176 this season, the second-worst in the majors. New York has no catchers among its top 30 prospects, so help is going to have to come from elsewhere.

The problem is, the Red Sox face a similar issue. Boston catchers have combined to hit just three home runs all season, which is the worst in the majors. The 25 RBIs generated by Red Sox catchers are second-worst, with only the Yankees (23 RBIs) getting less production from the position.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden on Monday pitched five trade proposals before the deadline. One included Goodman going to the Red Sox.

"He’s in the 96th percentile for barrel rate and the 88th percentile for bat speed, according to Statcast," Bowden wrote. "Adding his bat solves the Red Sox’s biggest need and puts them in a legitimate position to make the playoffs."

Goodman can swing playoff odds

Look, the Rockies (40-62) have the worst record in the majors. Should Colorado trade its stud catcher, the team getting him will see quite a boost in playoff odds.

Yes, FanGraphs gives the Yankees a 97.2% of making the playoffs and 12.3% chance of winning the World Series.

But Boston's longest winning streak since 1946 has seen the club's playoff chances skyrocket to 64.3%. If the Red Sox beat the Yankees for Goodman, those playoff odds will go out the window and put the blood rivals on a collision course for the playoffs.

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