Why Hunter Goodman Could Become a Yankee Before the Trade Deadline

The Yankees have a catcher problem. General manager Brian Cashman said as much himself, calling the situation a genuine issue. That’s not the kind of thing a front office says in July if they plan to just wait it out.

New York has been running out Austin Wells, JC Escarra and Ali Sanchez behind the plate. Wells was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2024. This year he’s got a .504 OPS and eight extra-base hits across 66 games. That’s not a slump. That’s a collapse. Escarra and Sanchez are backup-level guys who haven’t made anyone forget about the hole Wells created.

The Yankees are built to win now. They’ve got Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton when healthy. Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice both made the All-Star team. But the bottom of the order has been brutal, and a lot of that falls on Wells and Ryan McMahon, who has struggled at the plate since coming over from Colorado.

The Market Is Tricky

Here’s the thing. A lot of teams that normally sell are still hanging around the AL Wild Card race. The Twins are tied for the last playoff spot going into the break. The Yankees have made it known they want Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers. But would Minnesota sell while they’re still in it? Probably not without a serious overpay.

That’s where the Rockies come in. Colorado is going to sell. They always sell. And last year the Yankees already traded for McMahon out of Denver. So there’s a connection.

Hunter Goodman is the guy who makes sense. He’s been an offensive force for a bad team. Last season he put up an .843 OPS over 144 games, with 98 starts at catcher. This year he’s at .863 and is basically the only real threat in Colorado’s lineup.

Goodman Is Not McMahon

The fear with any Rockie is the Coors Field effect. McMahon had an .817 OPS at home before the trade and has been at .650 since putting on pinstripes. His glove has been fine. His bat has not.

Goodman’s splits tell a different story. He’s got an .824 career OPS at Coors but a solid .777 on the road. This season he’s actually been better away from Denver, .964 compared to .747 at home. That doesn’t mean there’s no adjustment period coming. But it suggests he’s not just a product of thin air.

The Yankees need a lift. They have the pitching and the top of the lineup to hang with anybody in the American League. But the bottom of the order has been a black hole all season. Swapping Wells for Goodman changes that instantly.

Colorado is going to deal. The Yankees have already done business with them. Cashman knows the asking price. The question is whether he’s willing to pay it or ends up chasing a tougher deal with a team that doesn’t want to sell.