With trade deadline approaching, Hunter Goodman and Rockies take on Royals

Hunter Goodman wasn't picked to compete in the Home Run Derby during All-Star Week, but he has plenty of suitors now.

Goodman, the Colorado Rockies' power-hitting catcher, is drawing interest from several teams ahead of Monday's trading deadline. For now he is still with Colorado and is expected to be in the lineup when the Rockies open a three-game home series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Colorado will send Tomoyuki Sugano (10-4, 4.69 ERA) to the mound against Kansas City's Michael Wacha (5-7, 3.60).

Sugano, who is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in two career starts against the Royals, has helped the Rockies improve on their 119-loss season in 2025. So have Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy and Goodman, three of the most rumored Colorado players in trade scenarios.

Goodman, who leads the team with 31 home runs and 60 RBIs, has drawn the most buzz when it comes to possible trade partners. The 26-year-old catcher set the franchise record for home runs by a catcher in 2025 with 31, and he tied it in fewer than 100 games this season. He is poised to break his own record - should he still be on the roster this weekend.

Colorado has not ignored the rumors and talk about players being dealt.

"We talk about it openly," Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. "It's just a thing that might happen, and everybody knows it. It's not like you pretend it's not happening. These are human beings and their lives might change [over the next] couple of days here."

The Royals are also expected to be sellers before Monday. They are coming off a tough 4-3 loss in Minnesota on Thursday afternoon when Kody Clemens hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and one of their movable players is Wacha.

The right-hander, who is 2-2 with a 5.11 ERA in nine career appearances - eight starts - against Colorado, was an All-Star this season and is pitching well. He has just one win since May 9 but has tossed at least six innings in 10 of his 13 starts since beating Detroit 11 weeks ago.

Wacha, along with Seth Lugo, are veterans in their mid-30s and would hold value for a team needing to bolster its staff for a playoff chase. That doesn't mean Kansas City general manager J.J. Picollo is compelled to move either one.

"We have to be very, very pointed on what we want to get out of any one of those two," Picollo said recently. "And it's also, they made a commitment to us, and that's big. And I think that's important to the morale of the team."

Both teams are dealing with injuries to key players ahead of their weekend matchup. The Royals placed shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (low back) on the 10-day injured list on July 22 - retroactive to July 21 - and he is eligible to be activated Friday.

Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros missed the two-game series in San Diego earlier this week with right biceps inflammation but has not required a trip to the IL.

-Field Level Media