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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Without lifting a finger, the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies saw the trade value of their catchers shoot up on Sunday.
The news that Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers had suffered a torn meniscus and could miss the rest of the season cast an already crowded trade deadline market for backstops into flux. Langeliers, the starting catcher for this year's American League All-Star team, was always an outside candidate to be traded, but he undoubtedly would have been one of the best.
If Langeliers elects surgery and is done for the year, though, things get much more interesting for the Rockies' Hunter Goodman and the Twins' Ryan Jeffers, among others.
Losing the 28-year-old Langeliers means the A's have greater need for backup Jonah Heim. The veteran Heim, an All-Star and World Series winner with the Texas Rangers in 2023, is a free agent at the end of this season. It was easy to see a contender finding use for the switch-hitting backup down the stretch. Now, the A's will need to think twice before subjecting their already dismal pitching staff to the loss of both Langeliers and Heim.
Goodman and Jeffers, whom plenty of teams would love to get their hands on, both have factors working against their being dealt. Goodman is only 26, on his way to a 3.5-4.0 WAR season, and isn't close to free agency. Jeffers is older and coming up on free agency, but the Twins were only a game out of an AL Wild Card entering Monday. Neither team was believed to be actively shopping its backstop.
But with Langeliers' injury, could some team that was harboring assets for a deal with the A's now consider reallocating those pieces for Goodman or Jeffers? Fewer quality options improves a seller's market for tradeable catchers. Whereas the Rockies and Twins might have been loathe to lose those players before, their thinking could change if they get an offer they can't turn down.
The MLB trade deadline isn't until Aug. 3, but deals have already begun in earnest. With a Langeliers dead off the board, any team that wants a catcher might need to get a little crazy.
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