Could Mariners pivot to Rockies for big bat they need?

The market for the Seattle Mariners’ biggest need at the trade deadline was already thin.

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It just got even thinner with a significant injury Tuesday that took one of the top right-handed bats thought to be available off the market.

The San Francisco Giants placed utility man Casey Schmitt on the 10-day injured list with a meniscus tear in his left knee, putting the breakout right-handed hitter’s season in jeopardy.

Giants manager Tony Vitello said Schmitt is “probably going to miss some significant time,” via the Bay Area News Group. Given that there’s just two months remaining in the season, it’s possible Schmitt’s injury is of the season-ending variety.

The news on Schmitt came just one day after the Cincinnati Reds put Spencer Steer on the 10-day IL with a sprained right wrist that will shut him down for at least two weeks. Steer, another right-handed bat, was arguably an even better fit for the Mariners than Schmitt.

With the trade deadline less than a week away and Schmitt and Steer – perhaps the two best trade fits for the M’s – on the IL, the possibility of the Mariners being able to land an impactful right-handed bat has shrunk to an even more worrisome state.

But maybe that just means it’s time for Seattle to pivot to a bigger target: Colorado Rockies two-time All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman.

The case for Hunter Goodman

Let’s go ahead and start this off by saying the Mariners likely are not acquiring Goodman.

The Rockies are a notoriously difficult team to trade with. They’re one of three teams the M’s have never struck a deal with since Jerry Dipoto was hired as general manager after the 2015 season.

Goodman also primarily plays a position the Mariners aren’t in need of reinforcements at, even if Cal Raleigh is slumping at the level he has throughout this year. And the Rockies should be asking for a huge haul in return for a catcher with the hitting prowess Goodman has, a tough premium for the M’s to pay since they would not be acquiring him to catch.

Plus, Goodman and the Mariners haven’t been linked together in trade rumors.

But there are reasons why a trade for Goodman makes sense.

The most important: He can hit.

Goodman has been one of game’s top hitting catchers since the start of last season. In 242 games over the past two seasons entering Tuesday, he had a .270/.326/.535 slash line, good for an .826 OPS and 120 wRC+. Among all catchers with a minimum of 600 plate appearances, he was first in slugging percentage and was behind only Raleigh in home runs (62) and RBIs (151). His 44 doubles were also third.

Goodman is well on his way to having his best power season this year with a career-high-matching 31 homers, while batting .260 with an .888 OPS in 98 games. He’s been worth 2.6 fWAR.

Acquiring any position player from the Rockies would normally come with the fear his production would drastically drop going from the most hitter-friendly park in baseball in Coors Field to the least friendly in T-Mobile Park. But Goodman hasn’t been a Coors merchant. In fact, he’s been significantly better on the road this season.

In 50 games on the road entering Tuesday, he was batting .284 with a .956 OPS and 18 home runs. In 48 games at home, he was hitting .233 with an .815 OPS and 13 homers.

Goodman also checks the box of hitting left-handers well, while also being solid against right-handed pitching. He’s hitting .293 with a .928 OPS and eight homers in 133 plate appearances against southpaws, and .244 with an .869 OPS and 23 homers in 275 plate appearances against right-handers.

As far as the positional fit, the Mariners could use Goodman at catcher a bit when Raleigh needs rest, but a move to the corner outfield and possibly some first base seems like where he would need to play. Prior to becoming Colorado’s full-time catcher last year, Goodman played some right field, left field and first base in stints with the Rockies during 2023 and 2024.

Goodman wasn’t particularly good defensively in the outfield while posting minus-4 defensive runs saved in 292 innings, but he’s also below average behind the dish. So, he’s probably not going to be a great defender no matter where he plays.

In addition to some not-so-great defense, there is a lot of swing and miss to Goodman’s game. He’s fourth percentile in whiff rate (35.7%) and third percentile in strikeout rate (32.6%), which isn’t helped by being seventh percentile in chase rate (39.7%). But he makes up for that with 97th percentile barrel rate (17.2%) and 75th percentile hard-hit rate (45.5%).

Goodman is in his final pre-arbitration year and under club control through 2029. There also seems to be a clear fit for him moving forward. He could be the replacement in left field for Randy Arozarena if Arozarena leaves in free agency after this season as expected.

And on top of it all, he might be the best right-handed bat moved at the trade deadline.

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