Report: Trade value of Rockies’ Goodman could be affected by his defense

There remains no indication that the Rockies plan to trade Hunter Goodman, but Sunday’s USA Today report that the Rockies had seven players up for potential deals — and that Goodman wasn’t among them — doesn’t seem to deter the speculation and chatter regarding the potential status of the two-time All-Star catcher as the trade deadline approaches on Aug. 3.

But there is something that could give the Rockies pause if they did consider moving the powerful catcher — not receiving enough trade return for a slugger who appears to be on a collision course with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench’s National League single-season record for home runs by a catcher.

That’s what Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon suggested in a piece in The Athletic on Monday, noting that while other teams continue to ring the phones at 20th and Blake, interest in Goodman is “muted” because of concerns about his work behind the plate, particularly his pitch framing.

Indeed, per Statcast, Goodman entered Monday’s play 44th among major-league catchers in catcher framing runs, coming in at minus-2.

But framing is less important at the major-league level than it ever has been thanks to the implementation of ABS and the ability to challenge ball-strike calls. At this, Goodman excels. He ranks third among MLB catchers in successful challenges with 56, and is sixth among 37 catchers with at least 45 challenges in success rate, at 67 percent.

Still, according to The Athletic, one executive for another club said Goodman “catches the ball like he’s mad at the baseball.”

YOUNG CATCHERS CAN OFTEN IMPROVE DEFENSIVELY WITH TIME

One example is a catcher the Rockies saw this weekend in Milwaukee, three-time All-Star William Contreras. Traded by Atlanta to the Brewers after the 2022 season in part because of concerns about his defense, Contreras improved with time, and now is considered one of the better all-around defensive catchers in the game, ensuring he remains one of the best at his position even as his OPS has come down in the last two years from its .800s-level peak of 2022-24.

It’s an instructive lesson for teams considering Goodman that 20-something catchers can — and do — improve behind the plate with experience.

“‘Goody’ has worked hard on his receiving and has gotten a ton better over the past couple years,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer told The Athletic. “He is dedicated to learning his pitchers and working to get them strikes and has been very good with the ABS system.

“… He has a ton of confidence in himself knowing the strike zone. Stealing strikes is only one piece of the puzzle and Goody is constantly improving his overall defense. He is not complacent and by no means is he just an offensive catcher.”

All of that stands as reason for the Rockies to hang on to Goodman, knowing that as he evolves, he could remain effective in a different way, even if he can’t sustain his power numbers three of four years from now.

But if a team has that sort of belief in Goodman’s growth potential behind the plate, it might still try to tempt the Rockies with an offer.

Furthermore, the catcher market thinned out when A’s standout Shea Langeliers suffered a torn meniscus Friday, ending his season. It’s very much a seller’s market, and Goodman remains a rare quantity: a catcher whose bat demands that he be in the lineup every day possible, which is why the Rox find extensive opportunities for him as a designated hitter, a role he’s handled in 29 games this year.

Curiously, Goodman is far more productive when catching than coming into the game only as a DH; this year, he has a 1.015 OPS as a catcher and just .592 as a DH, with a .181 batting average. The OPS splits were .895 and .700 last year as a DH and catcher, respectively.

Another factor that could affect Goodman’s deadline market is the amount of time it would take him to adjust to a new pitching staff. Thus, an offseason deal might be more prudent.

But unless the Rox can get a boffo offer, keeping the best slugging catcher they’ve ever known might be the wisest choice of all.

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