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DENVER — The acquisition of outfielder Jake McCarthy was one of the earliest and most successful moves by the front office that took over the Rockies last winter.
Diamondbacks outfielder McCarthy, who came in for Minor Leaguer Josh Grosz on Jan. 10, fits the Rockies’ new plan. By using speed to take advantage of Coors Field’s wide outfield and making consistent contact, McCarthy proved the Rockies’ and manager Warren Schaeffer’s assumption that offensive impact could be made without swinging for the fences.
“I look back at this time last year and it was a completely different situation, a different team. So I’m very grateful for this opportunity to help this team win,” McCarthy said after the season ended in Chicago. “We want to win more games and I think there are things I can do to help the team at the highest level and defensively.”
After a 58-104 season, the Rockies face a legitimate question about whether McCarthy would be the best help to the team in a trade.
When the trade deadline loomed in early August, the open-for-business Rockies front office retained McCarthy, who finished eighth in the National League with a .291 batting average, while filling the leadoff hole. The General Managers’ Meeting began Tuesday in Las Vegas with the Rockies facing the same problem — no starters — making dealing McCarthy even a question.
“It’s a big point of emphasis. There’s no doubt about it,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said. “We need more starting pitching and I think we need to look at all the possible avenues we have to get. [it]. I don’t think everything can be solved with a prospectus… [maybe] like ‘Hey, let’s go sign some free agents or just trade some guys.’ But I think you know we’re going to look at all these different ways we can get talent. …Of course, it is necessary to start paying attention to all these areas.”
Active teams can find themselves solving one problem, creating another, and playing a stick that never quite takes shape. Teams can also depend on players they like, even if it’s the kind of inactivity that never leads to improvement. McCarthy, 29, who avoided salary arbitration last winter by inking a $1.53 million deal through 2026 and is under club control through ’28, is a player who could be argued either way.
At the trade deadline, the Rockies didn’t have much pressure to make a decision on McCarthy, as most suitors were looking for right-handed outfielders. Among those who have changed address are Joe Adell (Guards), Heliot Ramos (Yankees), Taylor Ward (Mariners) and one-time Colorado outfielder Randal Grichuk (White Sox).
An offseason update could mean new trade opportunities.
Or not. McCarthy provided the leadoff production that had been missing since Charlie Blackmon’s prime when the Rockies visited the postseason in 2017 and ’18.
McCarthy’s 13 triples tied for second among MLB players, bettered only by former Diamondbacks teammate Corbin Carroll’s 17. McCarthy’s 32 stolen bases were seventh in the NL and the most by a Rockies player since Blackmon’s league-leading 43 in 2015. With 15 homers and 30 doubles, McCarthy became the first Rockies player since Blackmon in 2017 (35 doubles, 14 triples, at least 35 homers), 10 triples while stealing at least 30 bases.
Those numbers were one of the reasons why the Rockies’ offense went from one of the worst in baseball in 2025 to being in the top 10 in many major categories in 2026. Do the Rockies part with McCarthy or any of the others who lift the offense to help the pitching? Or are there other ways?
“Especially if we’re going to potentially look at auctions for pitching, I think we should be open to that, whether it’s from our current big league club or our Minor League system,” DePodesta said. “It might make some sense in areas where we have some depth. But I think we have to be open to it. It’s going to be harder for us to trade some of the position players that we have now because we feel like it’s strong. So we want to be careful not to take too much away from it, but yeah, I think we have to be open-minded.”
If anything is to be learned from the Brewers who won the World Series and the Rays who got it — and both teams are in long-term contention not often achieved by low-spending clubs — McCarthy’s role in Rockies culture should be appreciated, even if not measured by traditional or advanced metrics.
At the end of the year, McCarthy’s words suggested a hunger to address a simple but broad concept: winning baseball.
“There are things I can do to help the team defensively and on the base paths — a lot of other parts of my game that need to be improved,” McCarthy said. “I’m going to put in the work and see where this team goes.
“We’re a better team than we were toward the end of the year. I think we understand the challenge of a 162-game season now. We want to finish the season playing meaningful games in September and get to where we want to be.”