The Rockies got an outfielder Jake McCarthy from the Diamondbacks for a chance to play right field Josh Gross. Both teams officially announced the trade.
Selected 39th overall by the D’Backs in the 2018 draft, McCarthy’s time in Arizona was marked by trade rumors and flashes of energy. McCarthy’s first full MLB season in 2022 saw him finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, posting a .283/.342/.427 slash line, eight homers, and 23 steals in 26 attempts in 354 plate appearances. This translated to a 116 wRC+, but McCarthy’s production then rose to 78 wRC+ in the 2023 season, and he did not participate in any of Arizona’s playoff rosters during the team’s run to the NL pennant.
The pendulum swung again in 2024 when McCarthy played a career-best 142 games, and hit .285/.349/.400 with eight homers and 25 stolen bases over 495 PA. This past season, McCarthy had just a wRC+ of 60 from a .204/.247/.345 slash line over 222 PA, and spent two months in Triple-A in a fruitless attempt to get his bat going.
With a 431-game sample size to work with, McCarthy’s strengths and weaknesses are clear. He can play all three outfield positions at least as well, and he’s one of the fastest players in baseball, averaging no less than 98 percent of his speed since his debut in the Expos. McCarthy makes a lot of contact, however with very little hard contact or power, which leaves him somewhat at the mercy of the luck of the batted ball.
Emerging as one of the few left-handed hitters in the Diamondbacks farm system, McCarthy has been a part of the trade for years. During the 2023-24 season, the White Sox have reportedly been offered the option to acquire McCarthy or Dominic Fletcher according to each other Cristian Menaand Chicago chose to go with Fletcher. It’s easy for the D’Backs to speculate that McCarthy would have gotten more leverage if they moved him before January 2026, though McCarthy’s upside has made him a difficult player for the Diamondbacks to evaluate, let alone trade.
Even with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. since he could miss most or all of the 2026 season recovering from a torn ACL, the Diamondbacks still feel free to move McCarthy out of their outfield. McCarthy is out of the minor leagues, so bringing him back to Triple-A would require a trip first via the waiver wire. Today’s trade allows the D’Backs to get something back for a player who was already out of their plans.
Corbin Carroll locked in right field again Alex Thomas you will probably get a lot of field work in the middle. Any of the Blaze Alexander, Jorge Barrosaor assistant Tim Tawa can be used in the left field, as well as high hopes Jordan Lawler he played center field in winter ball and may end up getting a look in left field. The Diamondbacks may also explore adding another outfielder during the offseason.
The 28-year-old McCarthy is now headed to the Mile High City for a fresh start, though he’ll be joining another crowded picture outside. If anything, it was expected that the Rockies would deal with their outfield instead of adding, as that is probably the only real depth within the organization. That said, acquiring McCarthy could be a way for the Rockies to maintain their outfield depth before another trade later this winter. Meanwhile, McCarthy joins Mickey Moniak, Brenton Doyle, Zac Veenagain Jordan Beck in Colorado’s outfield mix, and McCarthy probably ranks as the fifth outfielder.
Since being hired as the Rockies’ president of baseball in November, Paul DePodesta has made two other trades, but this is the first that has brought a major leaguer back to Colorado. DePodesta has a long road ahead of him in trying to bring the Rox back to respectability, but adding a well-regarded prospect like McCarthy is a way to expand the talent, and see what McCarthy can do with perhaps a change of position. McCarthy is subject to arbitration through the 2028 season, and earns $1.525MM in 2026.
Grosz is on the road for the second time in less than six months, as the righty is one of two prospects the Yankees sent to the Rockies. Ryan McMahon during the last trading session. Grosz was the Yankees’ 11th-round pick in the 2023 draft, and posted a 4.67 ERA, a 25.2% strikeout rate, and a 10.3% walk rate over 125 1/3 innings at the high-A level in 2025 (87 IP with the Yankees’ high-Affiliate affiliate).
MLB Pipeline ranked Grosz as the 20th best prospect in Colorado’s farm system, projecting him as a multi-inning reliever or possibly a back-up starter. Grosz’s fastball (which sits at 93-95mph with a good spin rate) is his best pitch but also his “one better-than-average offering,” according to Pipeline’s scouting report. The 23-year-old is a lottery ticket item that the Diamondbacks could continue to develop as part of a potential trade.
