McCarthy's 2026 breakout continues to fuel Trade Deadline speculation

MILWAUKEE – Outfielder Jake McCarthy has spent this season trying to bring to life the vision espoused by Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, general manager Josh Byrnes and manager Warren Schaeffer.

“When I talked to Schaeff or Paul or Josh whenever they traded for me, they made it clear that they like the way I play, and they’re trying to build a team like that at Coors Field,” McCarthy said before Saturday night’s 8-5 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field. “They liked the well-rounded approach.

“I take pride in defense and baserunning, and I try to be a good hitter. They’ve allowed me to dig into that. They said, ‘When you get on base and you’re hunting another 90 feet, go get it.’”

But speculation connected to the Aug. 3 4 p.m. MT Trade Deadline suggests that the Rockies will have to decide whether a step toward their ultimate vision will include the difficult choice of dealing McCarthy, whom they acquired from the Diamondbacks for Minor League pitcher Josh Grosz on Jan. 10.

McCarthy tripled on Friday against the Brewers in a 5-2 victory – the team’s 42nd this season, or one less than last year’s worst-in-baseball performance. His two-run single in the top of the ninth on Saturday extended his on-base streak to 19 games and his hit streak to 11 games.

McCarthy went 1-for-5 on Saturday to leave his batting average at .302 – tied for sixth in the Majors – in a season that saw him take 19 games to climb above .200. He also was tied for second in the Majors in triples with seven, and leads the Rockies in steals with 17. Two of his 10 homers were inside-the-park sprints.

“The most impressive thing with Jake is he plays every day, he plays hard every day, and he embodies what we’re trying to do around here every day,” Schaeffer said. “Set the tone. Run hard to first even when he hits a 3-unassisted [groundout].

“On top of that, his at-bats have been incredible, against right, against left, his bunt game … the vastness of his game in general, the way he runs, the way he’s playing defense, all of it adds up to the player that he is.”

This has all added up to McCarthy grabbing the leadoff spot in the regular lineup. Earlier in the year, Schaeffer was using switch-hitting Willi Castro against lefty pitchers but was searching for a suitable top-of-the-order hitter against righties.

McCarthy had rarely hit leadoff with the Diamondbacks from 2021-25. He had several strong stretches with Arizona, but struggled last season – in part because he tweaked his swing in an unsuccessful attempt to manufacture power. Even before the trade, he was returning to the swing that fit him best, and it fit what the Rockies needed at the top of their order.

“They let me be me,” McCarthy said. “They like that I run the bases aggressively. They like that I’m an aggressive hitter. It’s awesome to get a ton of at-bats at the top of the lineup. Later in the game, it seems there’s always someone on base for me. And they give me the opportunity to hit righties and lefties.”

So why does McCarthy’s name come up in Trade Deadline conjecture? The first trade after the All-Star break was a suggestion that there are new philosophies.

The Rockies of the past resisted dealing hard-throwing young relief pitchers, but on Monday they sent righty Seth Halvorsen to the Dodgers for Triple-A reliever Nick Frasso and Single-A outfield prospect Landyn Vidourek. It was a signal the Rockies were open to creative ways to increase the talent level now and for the future.

But there are also signs that there are limits to the willingness to swap. All sources with knowledge say the bounty would have to be huge for the Rockies to part with cornerstone catcher Hunter Goodman.

McCarthy is part of a new offensive philosophy that’s hinting at results. The team is averaging 4.49 runs per game over their 53 road games – significant because if the average holds it will be the fourth-highest in club history and the first since the 2007 team went to the World Series above 4.0.

McCarthy’s RBIs were part of a three-run ninth that brought the team’s MLB-leading total of runs in the eighth inning or later to 140. Having a fighting chance away from Coors Field and late in games are building blocks toward a winning attitude that the club feels will remain through whatever roster changes are made.

How big an offer will it take for the Rockies to part with McCarthy, who has become a talisman for an offensive approach that is showing potential?

“I love it here – I tell my friends and family this is where I want to be,” said McCarthy, who notes that his name in trade rumors is a near-annual occurrence. “So my job over the next 10 days is to just keep showing up, playing good defense, getting a couple of hits and helping the team. The rest will take care of itself.”