Hunter Goodman Is MLB’s Best Under-the-Radar Trade Chip

If you look up the definition of “punching bag” on the Merriam Webster website, you will find a description that says, “One who is routinely abused or defeated by another.” Next to that is a picture of the Colorado Rockies logo.

Okay, maybe that second part isn’t true. Perhaps it should be, though, because the Rockies have been the metaphorical punching bag of MLB for the entirety of the 2020s.

The Rockies have finished last in the NL West for four straight seasons and are currently on pace to do it once again here in 2026. Last year, they finished a franchise worst 43-119, good for the fewest wins by an NL team since the 1962 Mets (40).

While it’s been a slight step forward in 2026, the team hasn’t done much to give fans hope that things will improve substantially any time soon. On top of watching consistently bad teams, they’ve also seen the team trade away top talents Nolan Arenado and Ryan McMahon.

While it may be hard to be optimistic considering how things have looked for years, there is reason to believe the Rockies could be heading in the right direction. While their .407 win percentage at the moment isn’t great, it would be their best mark since 2022. So at least the needle is moving a little.

The organization is also working with a brand-new front office. President of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes, who gained championship experience as a member of the Dodgers front office, both joined the organization last fall.

Some of their moves are already paying dividends. Jake McCarthy (trade), TJ Rumfield (trade), and Willi Castro (free agent) are all putting up solid production for Colorado this season.

But those aren’t the moves that are all of a sudden going to turn the Rockies into a contender. They need to continue to stockpile young talent and even take a swing at a big name via trade or free agency once they feel it’s time to play with the big boys.

The trade deadline is always a great opportunity for teams like Colorado to continue building toward the future. As it just so happens, that deadline is less than a month away.

The next few weeks will be filled with speculation about what MLB players could be moved to contending teams for their respective playoff pushes. One Rockies player might not seem like an obvious name for such conversations, but there are a few reasons why he might be on a new team come August.

Hunter Goodman Is MLB’s Best Under-the-Radar Trade Chip

Last year, the Rockies’ offense featured few bright spots, which was unsurprising considering the 597 runs they put up was second worst for a full season in franchise history. But among all the underperformers, a star had begun to blossom.

Hunter Goodman, the team’s primary catcher, broke out in a big way. After putting up a -1.5 fWAR in parts of two MLB seasons to start his MLB career, the former fourth-round pick burst on to the scene in 2025, hitting .278 with an .843 OPS, slugging 31 homers with 91 RBIs, and putting up a 118 wRC+ and a 3.4 fWAR. He would earn his first All-Star nod and Silver Slugger award as well.

Goodman has been right back at it here in 2026. His average is down a bit to .254, but his OPS has risen to .870, partially due to the fact that he’s already up to 27 homers on the season. He’s also been named to his second straight All-Star Game.

So you have one of your top offensive players who plays a position (catcher) that doesn’t always produce a ton of offense and also happens to have three more years of team control remaining. Obvious trade candidate, right?

Players like Goodman aren’t the type that often get traded away at this stage of their careers, and it’s logical to think that the Rockies will continue to hold on to him for a while as they continue to rebuild. However, there are a few reasons why it still makes sense to move him as well.

The most obvious reason is the return. Trading Goodman for all the qualities just described would get Colorado a pretty massive haul back, especially considering the position he plays.

That haul could start to help address the weak spot on the team: pitching. Colorado could use help in that facet across the board, as they sit dead last in the league with a 5.54 team ERA. And unfortunately, few of their top prospects are pitchers. The ones that are largely sit in the lower levels of the system.

Thankfully, the offense has assets to spare. After a pitiful offensive season last year, the Rockies are eighth in all of baseball at 4.87 runs per game as of games through July 5. Six players besides Goodman have an wRC+ above 100 on the season.

There’s also the inevitable question of whether a small payroll team like the Rockies will ever try to sign a player like Goodman long-term. If the answer to that question is no, then it’s understandable why they’d look to trade him now.

Going through the rebuilding process for a team like Colorado can often mean making tough decisions to accumulate the amount of pieces needed to start being taken seriously as a contender. Trading Goodman would be just the under-the-radar move to help in that endeavor.

Stats were taken prior to play on July 6.