In Pursuit Of Rockies' Hunter Goodman, Is Franklin Arias Too Steep Of A Price To Pay For Red Sox?

[Steve Drumwright]

 

If the Boston Red Sox are truly going to acquire controllable talent at the trade deadline instead of a two-month rental, it might hurt a little bit when it comes to prospect capital.

One area the Red Sox would love to find a long-term solution is catcher—and the most popular name when it comes to a controllable player and production is Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies.

The 26-year-old is third in MLB with 31 homers, matching his 2025 total, and has a .254/.326/.545 slash line with 60 RBIs. While some might think he is just a product of the thin air at Coors Field, 18 of Goodman's homers have come on the road. While Goodman's defense has been questioned, that is something a team can work on.

That type of right-handed power would look terrific at Fenway Park, right?

But with the Rockies turning a corner under a new front office and actually looking competent, Colorado isn't necessarily in the mood to ship off a player the team can build around. Goodman is making $810,000, just above the MLB minimum, and has three more years of club control.

So that makes the price a stiff one for competitors to pry away Goodman. Combine that with two other AL East rivals, the New York Yankees and first-place Tampa Bay Rays, also seeking a catcher before Monday's deadline, and the price increases that much more.

According to several reports, the Rockies are looking at the very top of the prospect list if they are going to surrender their young star. For the Red Sox, that begins with shortstop Franklin Arias, who was just promoted to Triple-A Worcester and homered in his first plate appearance. The 20-year-old, Talk Sox's No. 1 prospect, entered play Friday with a .307/.393/.570 slash line in 79 games between Double-A and Triple-A this year.

With a 15-game winning streak flipping the script on the Red Sox this month, would that price be worth it to not only guarantee a postseason spot but make a deep run to a World Series?

 

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[mvp 78]

1. I don't think catchers typically get better on defense after they get into MLB, especially a guy like Goodman. Saying "it's something a teams can work on" is really underselling the task.

2. Is it a one for one trade? Ok. If not, it depends on the pieces going the other way. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I've already said I won't trade Arias for Goodman. But I will give up multiple good pitching prospects, which a team that plays half its games at Coors Field can never have enough of.

[moonslav59]

If Goodman is more DH than Catcher, I'm not sure it's worth the expected cost, but a 30+ HR DH is not so bad an addition, either.

I'd rather we find a "real" and I mean all around Catcher or SS than someone we plan to DH or move to an easier position in the near future.

I was pretty high on some of these SS names being talked about, until I learned about their defensive issues.