The Arizona Diamondbacks moved on from outfielder Jake McCarthy on January 10. McCarthy was traded to the Rockies, a move that’ll give the Rockies another outfielder to add to their depth chart for 2026. Arizona, meanwhile, will receive Minor League pitcher Josh Grosz.
The Rockies’ Return
- OF Jake McCarthy (.204/.247/.345, four HR, and 16 XBH over 67 GP)
Run prevention is a trendy term, even though that concept isn’t exactly new by any stretch of the imagination. McCarthy, who has a +8 Outs Above Average across the last two seasons, should help in that regard.
McCarthy has been a Diamondback his entire career, dating back to when Arizona drafted him in the first round back in 2018. He spent parts of five seasons with the MLB club. McCarthy set a career-high in games played in 2024 with 142.
The 28-year-old spent the year moving between Arizona and Reno. McCarthy posted a .592 OPS with the Diamondbacks this season in just 67 games.
Despite the low total of games played, McCarthy had five triples, the 10th-most in the National League.
His speed is his best asset. McCarthy is a plus-plus runner who ranked in the 99th percentile in sprint speed last season. It’s an asset both in the field and on the basepaths when he can get on. McCarthy stole 20+ bases in each of the last three seasons.
The problem, though, is the bat. McCarthy is a high-contact hitter who doesn’t strike out a lot. However, he doesn’t walk a lot and doesn’t have much power.
Defensively, the Diamondbacks regularly used him in all three outfield positions.
The Diamondbacks’ Return
- SP Josh Grosz (4.67 ERA, 135 K, 55 BB over 125.1 IP (A+))
Josh Grosz didn’t last long in the Rockies’ organization. Grosz spent the final few weeks of 2025 pitching in Spokane after he was traded alongside Griffin Herring as part of the Ryan McMahon trade. Before that move, Grosz was with High-A Hudson Valley of the South Atlantic League.
Grosz wasn’t the headliner of that trade. An 11th-round pick out of East Carolina in 2023, Grosz put up good results in Low-A back in 2024, as he struck out 95 and walked 29 over 78.2 IP. With Tampa, he slashed a four-seamer that sat 94-96 MPH, and coupled that with a high-80s changeup and a slower slider.
This past season with Hudson Valley, Grosz induced a lot of groundballs, to the tune of 45.7%, well above the league median in the South Atlantic League. He also missed a fair amount of bats (28.4% Whiff%).
However, Grosz didn’t have a ton of success in the Northwest League. Even though he showed a good fastball and breaking ball at times with Spokane, he conceded a lot of hard contact in a small sample size.
Grosz conceded nine home runs over 38.1 IP with the Indians. Seven of those came in August, which tied him for the most given up in the league during that month.
Analysis
From a roster management standpoint, this makes a lot of sense for several reasons.
One, McCarthy has over three years of MLB experience, and the Diamondbacks burned all of his options while he was a D-Back. Arizona was going to have to decide at some point on McCarthy. He’s a fantastic speedster who can cover a lot of ground in the outfield. But, the Diamondbacks have long had a glut of left-handed outfielders, and McCarthy was the odd man out.
Arizona does get a good pitching prospect back, adding to what the D-Backs acquired in July when Merrill Kelly was shipped out of Texas.
As for the Rockies, McCarthy should come in as a handy outfielder. He’s a plus runner who can cover a lot of ground, making him someone who can slot in left field — or center and right, as he has experience playing in those spots, as well — and navigate a tough-to-play part of that outfield in Coors Field.
However, he joins a glut of outfielders in Colorado, as their room currently includes Jordan Beck, Brenton Doyle, and Mickey Moniak, among others.
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