theathleticuk
Teams continue to call the Colorado Rockies, seeking to trade for catcher Hunter Goodman.
Yet, the interest in one of the games top sluggers is muted.
The concern with Goodman is his defense, specifically his receiving.
Whether those concerns should outweigh his offensive prowess at a time when teams are desperate for right-handed power and Goodman is under control for three additional seasons is a question that will help determine whether the Rockies move their lone All-Star.
Advertisement With the trade deadline one week away, multiple major-league executives estimate the chances of Goodman getting traded at about 30 percent.
That percentage, however, could increase in the coming days.
A number of teams, including the leading AL East powers, the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, want to add a catcher.
Another potential trade candidate, the Athletics Shea Langeliers, went on the injured list Sunday with a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Langeliers injury, which potentially is season-ending, effectively removes him from the trade market, not that he was ever expected to move.
Goodman, 26, entered Sunday third in the majors with 31 home runs and 12th with an .890 OPS.
And its not as if clubs are wary of a run producer who plays his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field.
Goodman is one of the sports top road performers.
Yet, interested clubs are resisting the Rockies early ask, according to people briefed on the discussions, in part because of their dissatisfaction with Goodmans work behind the plate.
One rival executive, granted anonymity for his candor, said Goodman, catches the ball like hes mad at the baseball.
Another exec from a team in need of a catcher said Goodmans defense was so concerning that his club did not even check with the Rockies about their price.
Still another said that his club would want a better defensive catcher to part with the prospect capital the Rockies will require.
He is 100 percent a bat-first catcher, said one scout who was granted anonymity for his candor.
Teams often are reluctant to acquire catchers in the middle of a season, citing the difficulty of the player learning a new pitching staff.
Goodman might be a particular risk.
He indeed has regressed in some areas defensively, most notably with his framing.
Advertisement Entering Sunday, Goodman was 44th out of the 61 qualified catchers in catcher framing runs, a metric that converts strikes to runs saved and includes park and pitcher adjustments.
A year ago, in his first full season, he finished 19th out of 57.
Goodmans overall defensive profile, though, is not all negative.
He is among the leagues best catchers at ABS challenges.
He also rates above-average in blocking and is middle of the pack in pop time and caught stealings above average.
The Rockies, who rank last in the majors in ERA, do not consider Goodman responsible for their pitching woes, according to a person briefed on their thinking.
The bigger issue, they believe, is that their pitchers simply are not good enough.
Other extenuating circumstances beyond Goodmans control also might be contributing to his reputation within the industry as a subpar defender.
Goodman showed progress last season under Dustin Garneau, the Rockies former bullpen coach.
Garneau left for the Atlanta Braves last November.
The Rockies replaced him with Chris Rabago, who added catching coach to his duties as bullpen catcher.
Coors Field, sitting one mile above sea level, also can wreak havoc with pitch shapes, adding to the challenge for catchers.
The Rockies other receiver, Brett Sullivan, rates as an even worse framer than Goodman.
None of this should necessarily deter clubs interested in Goodman, who is regarded as a hard worker, eager to learn.
Receiving is an easier skill to improve than say, arm strength and athleticism, catching instructors say.
According to one such instructor who said he has not seen Goodman recently, it should be quite possible to clean up any of the catchers receiving issues and in relatively short order.
A lot of times its stance-related, its positioning, its being too far away from the plate or the hitter and maybe not having a good strategy in terms of how close you can get to the hitter without getting hit, the instructor said.
Advertisement Im pretty confident there are some things there you can change pretty quickly where you can see some improvements.
I dont know what his ceiling would be necessarily.
But Im sure in the right environment he could improve, no question.
The Yankees have a coach who possibly could draw more out of Goodman Tanner Swanson, their major-league field coordinator and director of catching.
Within the industry, Swanson is regarded as a top catching instructor.
But even if the Yankees determined that Swanson could help Goodman, they would not necessarily be inclined to put together the kind of package the Rockies seek.
As previously reported, the Rockies are telling teams they spent the first part of the season trying to figure out which players can be part of their next 90-win team.
Barring an extension for Goodman, they must decide whether they can get to 90 wins with him by 2029, his final year of club control, or whether a trade for multiple prospects might accelerate their timeline.
The Rockies face no urgency making that decision.
They could trade Goodman in the offseason, when teams are both more flexible with their rosters and comfortable incorporating new catchers.
Or they could wait until the deadline next year, following the offseason or a later window.
If a team that wants Goodman is not fully sold on him as a catcher, it still could use him as more than a DH.
Goodman has played 43 career games in the outfield and 12 at first base.
And while clubs today place great emphasis on defense, particularly at up-the-middle positions, Goodman would not be the first catcher known more for his bat than his glove.
Both Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and four-time World Series champion Jorge Posada are among the catchers from the past who carried that reputation.
Hes not a good defender, but who cares? one rival executive said of Goodman.
He rakes.