The Colorado Rockies chose not to move off Jake McCarthy at the Trade Deadline, and it was the right choice.
The Colorado Rockies’ front office decided not to move off any of its best players ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline on Monday.
Most of the speculation was centered on what would happen with catcher Hunter Goodman, and rightfully so. He is a 26-year-old two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner who will not be an unrestricted free agent until 2030, and he is staying put.
However, it is important to note that outfielder Jake McCarthy is another young talent that the Rockies chose to retain. Let’s talk about why this was also a good move by Colorado:
More club control
McCarthy’s runway to unrestricted free agency is a bit shorter than Goodman’s, but he still won’t reach it until 2029.
Therefore, the Rockies have two players in McCarthy and Goodman that they can count on to help navigate toward a better baseball future in Denver. Additionally, Colorado just acquired McCarthy through a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in January, and he is playing too well for the front office to move off him this quickly.
After the Deadline passed, President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta made it clear that moves for the organization’s top talent never got close to materializing, and it shows that he believes in having players like Goodman and McCarthy as the pillars for what he hopes to make a competitive club.
Production
As I mentioned previously, McCarthy is playing too well to depart already.
This season, the 29-year-old has taken quite the offensive leap. Through 100 games and 55 at-bats, he has produced a .293 batting average, a .331 on-base percentage, a .490 slugging percentage and an .821 OPS with 11 home runs.
In terms of home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, McCarthy has logged the highest marks of his career. While the latter three categories may fluctuate, he has demonstrated a clear leap.
When McCarthy was acquired by the Rockies, he was coming off a 2025 season in which he appeared in only 67 games for the Diamondbacks while producing a .204/.247/.345 slash line with a .592 OPS in 206 at-bats.
McCarthy's struggles were evident, and he spent time in Triple-A Reno. But since the change of scenery, he has really tapped into his potential.
The Rockies saw something in McCarthy when they traded for him in January, and it is a bet that has paid off so far. Sure, there is a chance that his production is a flash in the pan, but there is also a chance that he has been unlocked, and that is beneficial for a team that is trying to find its way back to consistent winning.
