With less than two weeks until the August 3 trade deadline, the catcher market has delivered a pretty clear answer: the three most coveted options aren’t going anywhere. Shea Langeliers, Adley Rutschman, and Hunter Goodman have all been deemed untouchable by their respective clubs, per reports from Robert Murray (FanSided) and Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic). For teams like the Yankees and Rays who’ve been hunting for catching help, the board just got a lot smaller.
Langeliers: The Most Surprising Hold
The Athletics are out of contention, which normally makes them natural sellers. Not this time. Jeff Passan (ESPN) reported that Oakland has told interested clubs it has «zero desire» to trade its catcher — and the numbers make that stance easy to understand.
- Age: 28
- .263 AVG and 23 home runs in 2026
- Under team control through 2028 at just $5.25 million per year
- 82 home runs since 2024 — second among all catchers only to Cal Raleigh
That combination of power, affordability, and control is exactly why Oakland isn’t budging, even from the bottom of the standings.
Rutschman: On the Board, But Unlikely to Move
The Orioles situation is more nuanced. Some ESPN reports placed Adley Rutschman on Baltimore’s trade board, but insiders like Rosenthal and Murray classify him as unlikely to be dealt. A wrist inflammation injury that currently has him on the IL adds another layer of uncertainty — it could be a reason to sell high, or the perfect excuse to pull him off the market entirely.
Either way, the calculus favors keeping him: three-time All-Star, 28 years old, under control through 2027.
Goodman: Quietly Just as Untouchable
Hunter Goodman doesn’t generate the same headlines as the other two, but Colorado isn’t moving him either. At 26 with three additional years of team control and 74 home runs since 2024, Just Baseball ranks him among the most valuable catchers in the game. He’s simply not a real trade candidate right now.
So Who’s Actually Available? Ryan Jeffers.
With the three big names off the table, the most realistic target on the market is Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins. Rosenthal points to him as the most obvious option for teams like the Yankees and Rays, who’ve been searching for a solution behind the plate for weeks. He’s not Langeliers or Rutschman, but at this point, he’s the most credible alternative left standing.
Unavailable Now Doesn’t Mean Unavailable Forever
One distinction worth making before August 3: none of this rules out a Langeliers, Rutschman, or Goodman trade in the offseason or down the road. Athletics Nation has documented Langeliers’ offensive volatility — he hit .328/.382/.592 in April before cooling to a .225 AVG in May — as a reason his peak trade value might eventually push a deal, just not on this timeline.
For now, the message from all three organizations is consistent and comes from credible sources. The elite catching market at this deadline has almost no inventory, and the three names everyone wants are firmly locked away.
