The No. 1 thing on the Boston Red Sox's offseason checklist should be adding power to their lineup. There are a few intriguing candidates on the free agent market they could pursue, but the number is so small that the trade market might be a better place to look.
The Red Sox ended up with Adley Rutschman and Curtis Mead as their two offensive additions before the trade deadline, but neither went according to plan. Rutschman wasn't the only catcher linked to Boston at the trade deadline — the Red Sox inquired with the Colorado Rockies about slugging backstop Hunter Goodman.
Some Sox fans have hoped that Boston would take up its push for Goodman again, as he'd be an ideal fit at Fenway Park. But MLB insider Jon Heyman believes it is not to be, and for an obvious reason: the Red Sox have Rutschman already.
Boston paid an astronomical price to land Rutschman at the trade deadline — four top prospects (three in the organization's top five) and Carlos Narváez. Given that price, the Red Sox must try to get all they can out of Rutschman in his walk year, and maybe even sign him to an extension. Anthony Eyanson has the potential to be a star in MLB and giving him to a division rival just to turn on Rutschman is a bad idea.
MLB insider believes Red Sox won't push for Hunter Goodman trade following Adley Rutschman add at trade deadline
For what it's worth, Heyman believes there's only a "slim chance" Goodman will be traded anywhere before the 2027 season, he said on his Bleacher Report livestream. Goodman is an extremely talented player and it's hard to justify giving him up. Goodman slashed .245/.310/.529 with 20 doubles, two triples and 41 home runs over 138 games. He also plays a premier position.
The Rockies' trade deadline ask for Goodman included No. 1 prospects from the interested suitors. For the Red Sox, that would mean trading Franklin Arias, which seemed to be off the table. The Los Angeles Angels also requested Arias in exchange for Zach Neto, another deal that obviously never went through. Goodman isn't going to be a free agent until after the 2026 season and he's still in his arbitration years, which probably means Colorado's asking price hasn't decreased all that much.
Unfortunately for Sox fans who were dead-set on adding Goodman at the trade deadline, Rutschman isn't going anywhere. But he still has a chance to make good on his move to Boston. He's struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons but he still managed 13 home runs in 99 games this year. If he can stay healthy, Rutschman, the elite catcher that he is, can be an impact player on both sides of the ball.
Add us as a preferred source on Google