With the trade deadline set for Monday, Aug. 3, the market is starting to take shape now that the amateur draft is behind everyone. The action hasn’t fully started yet, but the calls are already going in, and Saturday’s chatter centered on three names: Hunter Goodman, the Braves’ search for offense, and Luis García Jr.
The Yankees have already taken a look at Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, according to ESPN. New York and Colorado haven’t talked recently, but the interest is real.
That makes sense given how ugly the Yankees’ catching production has been this year. Their backstops rank 29th in batting average at .175 and on-base percentage at .250, dead last in slugging at .269, and 26th with 0.2 WAR.
Goodman, 26, would bring serious power. He leads all catchers with 27 home runs, and his split is eye-catching: 18 homers and a .964 OPS on the road compared with nine homers and a .729 OPS at Coors Field.
There are obvious warts, too. He doesn’t grade well defensively and strikes out at one of the highest rates in baseball.
Even so, he’d be a major upgrade for New York, and he’s under team control through 2029.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is looking at the other side of the ball - or at least that’s where the focus is right now. Despite all the pitching injuries, The Athletic reports the Braves are currently prioritizing offense.
Since June 1, the team has hit just .231/.298/.378, and there’s still room to add a bat even if Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from his hamstring strain during the current homestand. Shortstop and DH are two spots that could use help.
The pitching injury list is long: Martín Pérez is dealing with a forearm issue, Spencer Schwellenbach had elbow bone spur surgery, AJ Smith-Shawver is recovering from Tommy John surgery, Spencer Strider has elbow inflammation, and Robert Suarez is also out with elbow inflammation. The Braves expect those arms back in the coming weeks.
Atlanta has reinforcements coming on the mound. On offense, outside of Acuña, that same kind of help isn’t there.
Another name drawing attention is Nationals first baseman Luis García Jr. Multiple teams have asked about him, per The Athletic.
García, 26, moved from second base to first this season, and the bat has picked up in a big way lately. He has 20 home runs, with 15 of them coming in his last 33 games.
He’s a left-handed hitter who has been heavily platooned, and his defense isn’t a strength, but the extra year of control makes him especially interesting.
That control could matter for teams still chasing a postseason spot. The Diamondbacks and Padres stand out as clubs that could use help at first base, and García’s value would extend beyond this season. Even if Arizona or San Diego doesn’t get into the field this year, he could still be part of the picture in 2027.
In Other News...
Nationals Bullpen Takes Another Hit As Familiar Lefty Suddenly Returns
The Nationals bullpen depth took another jolt before their game against the Athletics, with left-handers PJ Poulin and Richard Lovelady both landing on the injured list. Loveladys absence leaves Washington even thinner on the left side, and the club moved quickly to bring back a familiar arm in Matt Krook, re-signing him to a major league contract and activating him for immediate help.
Krooks return gives Washington another option at a time when the relief mix is being reshuffled on the fly, and the expectation is that he will be leaned on more heavily now than he was before the injuries. For a Nationals club trying to patch together innings, the timing matters as much as the name, and Krook suddenly finds himself back in the middle of a bullpen picture that has changed fast. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Starter Takes A Crucial Step With Washington Watching
The Harrisburg Senators and New Hampshire Fisher Cats head into Game 3 tied 1-1, with the series shifting to FNB Field on July 19 and a familiar name set to draw extra attention. Washington right-hander Jake Irvin is scheduled to take the ball for Harrisburg, giving Nationals watchers another chance to track a starter working back into form while the Senators try to build on a Game 2 win.
Harrisburgs offense gave the club a lift in that comeback effort, led by Ethan Petrys 4-for-4 night with five RBIs, and the Senators now have a chance to carry that momentum into the middle game of the set. After this three-game stretch, they will turn quickly to a six-game series against Reading, but for Washington, the bigger focus is on how Irvin looks in a setting that matters beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Have A Zack Littell Problem Before The Deadline
Zack Littells first season in Washington has gone sideways fast enough to create a real deadline dilemma for the Nationals. The right-hander has a 5.43 ERA, and the underlying numbers have been just as rough, with too many home runs, too few strikeouts and a profile that has not helped his case as July gives way to August.
For a club trying to sort out its pitching picture, Littell now sits in an awkward middle ground: not quite reliable enough to count on, and not productive enough to assume there will be a strong market for him. Washington has to decide whether to ride it out with him the rest of the season and factor in the 2027 mutual option, or keep exploring a move even as the clock toward the Aug. 3 deadline keeps ticking. [Read more 🡒]