Jack McCarthy and his wife, Sophie, sat on the couch of their home in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Saturday morning. They were celebrating their first wedding anniversary when his phone rang. News came from his agent that he was being traded.
The Scranton native was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the National League West rival Colorado Rockies in exchange for right-hander Josh Groz. Both teams announced the trade on X.
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Just two days ago, McCarthy signed a one-year, $1.525 million contract with the Diamondbacks to avoid arbitration.
“It’s been a crazy morning. Anytime something like this happens, it catches you off guard,” McCarthy said. “After my agent called, I told my friends and family, and then they (the team) made it public about an hour later. There were obviously some big changes.”
McCarthy has been the subject of trade rumors several times over the past year or two as the Diamondbacks have a surplus of outfielders. Now that it’s happened, he’s looking forward to playing in Colorado.
“You acknowledge that things can change very, very quickly,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, when you get the call, you’re kind of like, wow! But I can’t express how excited I am about Colorado. We’ve played these guys a lot in the division. I really think they have a group of young guys that are getting better and better.”
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Last season was a tough one for McCarthy. He went 0-for-24 in starts, then batted .073 (3-for-41) with his first hit in 14 games before the Diamondbacks sent him to Triple-A Reno. In 49 games with the Aces, he batted .314 (65 of 207) with 43 runs, 15 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run, 16 RBIs and 12 of 15 stolen bases. He was recalled to Arizona in June and batted .204 (42 for 206) with 18 runs, seven doubles, five triples, four home runs, 20 RBIs and six stolen bases in 67 games.
“Last year was not good,” McCarthy said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity this year to go to camp and do the things I feel I’m capable of doing. All the motivational factors are still the same, just in a different place.”
McCarthy graduated from Scranton High School and the University of Virginia. In 2018, he was selected by the University of Arizona with the 39th overall pick in the first round. He made his MLB debut on April 27, 2021, and in 5 seasons with the Diamondbacks, he hit .260 with 24 home runs, 139 RBI, 185 runs, and 83 stolen bases in 431 games.
He has many fond memories of his time with the Diamondbacks and said he misses his teammates the most.
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“A lot of good friends. I actually went to the football game (Friday) night with a few guys from the team,” McCarthy said. “A lot of us have lived here. There’s a lot of people on the team that I grew up with, got drafted with, came up through the minors with. I think that’s the hardest part of it all. When you sign up for this job, you understand that things can change in an instant. It’s definitely tough saying goodbye to people that I’ve been with for the last six years. My wife is the same way. She’s made a lot of friends with the other wives, like. It’s definitely going to be different, but I’m really excited to be able to work in Colorado and I really enjoy playing there.”
McCarthy joins a Rockies outfield that includes Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak and Jordan Baker.
“I’m excited to walk into a building in February and have the opportunity to contribute and get a job and show people what I can do,” McCarthy said. “Obviously I want to be in it, but there’s no expectation. I want to go out and win it and show people what I can do.”
Ironically, the Rockies and Diamondbacks share a spring training facility at Talking Stick Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. So it doesn’t seem like things will be much different when McCarthy begins spring training.
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“I had to drive about 100 yards past where I turned in,” McCarthy said.
“It’s going to be weird going to Arizona as a tourist.”
Colorado is scheduled to travel to Arizona for the first time on May 21-24.
As for Josh Grotz, he was selected by the New York Yankees in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft and was part of the deal that brought third baseman Ryan McMahon to the Yankees at last season’s trade deadline. In 23 games (22 starts) with High-A Hudson Valley and Spokane, he went 5-14 with a 4.67 ERA in 125.1 innings, walking 55 and striking out 135. He ranks 20th overall in the Rockies farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.
