The Colorado Rockies are set to begin a two-game matchup with the San Diego Padres in one of the final series before the MLB trade deadline.
While Colorado isn’t in the playoff hunt, there are still a few players across the roster who have been involved in trade rumors. One of the biggest has been breakout catcher Hunter Goodman, whose name has made waves around the league.
Hunter Goodman Batting Placement
But ahead of the start of the series with San Diego, the Rockies are continuing to keep Goodman in the lineup. The star catcher will be batting third in the lineup as Colorado begins the series with its National League West rivals.
It remains to be seen how the Rockies will perform in this series with the Padres, but they have struggled this season. The Rockies have gone 1-6 against the Padres this year, which includes a four-game sweep the last time Colorado played at Petco Park.
Colorado will try to play spoiler against the Padres this time around, with San Diego directly trying to decide whether to be a buyer or a seller at the trade deadline. The Rockies are coming off a series that saw them lose two of three games to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Should Colorado Rockies Trade Hunter Goodman?
As the series starts, all eyes will be on what the Rockies do with Goodman over the next week. The breakout star has made a name for himself across the baseball world, and multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for him.
Overall, Goodman has hit .260 with 31 home runs and 60 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .800 for the year. Goodman has the same number of home runs as he hit last season, giving him the chance to go even higher this time around.
The slugger has made the All-Star team twice, with both appearances coming in the last two seasons. The Rockies have been encouraged by the development of Goodman, so trading him now could be a tough loss for them down the stretch.
Goodman is eligible for salary arbitration ahead of the 2027 season, and he has two more years of team control on his contract. This could see the Rockies either completely brush off any trade talks for his services, or have the front office look for a very high return.
Colorado has reportedly been resistant to trading Goodman as they want to start building for future contention. Goodman is one of the young players that the Rockies seem to believe they can build around, so keeping him makes sense.
It has been a long time since the Rockies have been relevant in the major leagues, with the organization last making the playoffs in 2018. So, if they see Goodman as a cornerstone player, keeping him in town, at least for now, seems to be the way they’ll go.
But for the right price, Goodman could be had on the market. The Rockies would be wise to at least see what they could net for the star catcher, even if they aren’t actively shopping him this year.
Rockies Announce Hunter Goodman Decision Ahead of Padres Series