If the Pirates want an upgrade behind the plate, the best player they could go after is Colorado Rockies’ backstop Hunter Goodman. He is in the midst of his second strong season, and with the Rockies’ current situation, he could become a valuable trade piece for them. If that becomes the case, he should be one of the Pirates’ top trade targets.
The catching position is a serious question mark on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ roster this year. Endy Rodriguez has emerged as an on-base threat, but his defense is lackluster, at least compared to previous seasons. Plus, his status is now questionable after getting removed from his most recent game with hip discomfort. Henry Davis’ defense has taken a massive step forward over the last two years, but he has had a wRC+ under 50 in that time. Joey Bart has not replicated anything similar to his 2024 breakout campaign, and his game-calling is questionable for many of the Pirates’ pitchers.
Hunter Goodman Should Be a Prime Trade Candidate for the Pirates
High-End Power From Behind the Plate
Goodman has proved to be one of the best-hitting catchers in the sport over the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2025 campaign, he has slashed .269/.324/.523 with a .361 wOBA and 118 wRC+. Only one catcher surpasses his 49 homers: American League MVP finalist and Seattle Mariners superstar catcher Cal Raleigh. His isolated slugging percentage also sits at a healthy .254 mark. Goodman has only walked at a 6.7% pace while striking out 28.3% of the time.
Hunter Goodman has 5 homers in 7 June games 💪 pic.twitter.com/vnd8gUXyAL
— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2026
Coors Effect Has No Effect on Goodman
For those worried about how Goodman would fare on the road, don’t. He is an excellent hitter as a guest. Over the last two years, the slugger has been batting .256/.304/.536 with a .357 wOBA and 129 wRC+. He has hit 29 home runs in just 417 plate appearances and has a .279 ISO on the road. That is the sixth-highest road ISO of any batter with at least 350 plate appearances since the start of the 2025 season. That also surpasses the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Nick Kurtz, and Matt Olson. The only downside is his 5.5% walk rate and 31.7% K rate.
There is arguably even more in the tank for Goodman. He has upped his xwOBA on contact from an impressive .416 mark last year to an even better .459 this year. There is also no question that his power will play anywhere. His average exit velocity this year is 91.2 MPH, and he is in the 83rd percentile of batters. Meanwhile, he is in the 93rd percentile of barrel rate at 15.6%. Both are also improvements from 2025, when he had a 90.8 MPH exit velo and 12.9% barrel rate.
Not Just a Slugger
Defensively, Goodman is a solid, albeit unspectacular glove. He has +1 defensive run saved with +1.4 framing runs over 1233 innings behind the plate. His blocking also grades out as around average, at +3 blocking runs. His poptime sits around average, and he only has -2 caught steals above average. Baseball Savant puts his fielding run value at +1. Goodman is also familiar with both outfield corners and first base, but has only taken the field as a catcher the last two seasons.
A Potential Multi-Year Fixture for the Pirates
Goodman has control through the 2029 season via arbitration. He is only making $810K this season, which is just $30K more than the league minimum salary. Arbitration will mean his salary will go up; however, even if it doubles from his current salary, he’ll still make less than $2 million in 2027.
Goodman will likely cost the Pirates something worthwhile. After all, he is a solid defensive catcher who brings a ton of power and is under control for three more full seasons. However, catching is a serious problem for the Pirates. Their combined +0.4 fWAR is the 22nd best in baseball, and there is no solution on the horizon, at least not for another year or two (unless something miraculous happens and they draft Vahn Lackey). Goodman provides some thump and defense behind the plate, two things the Pirates could greatly benefit from.
Main Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
