The Rockies have already made one move to secure part of their offensive future, and Jake McCarthy looks like the next obvious name on the list.
Colorado’s path back isn’t going to be quick after another 100-plus-loss season, and the biggest problem still hanging over the club is the same one that keeps showing up at Coors Field: pitching. But if the lineup is the unit showing real life, the front office should keep stacking useful bats wherever it can.
That’s why McCarthy stands out as a candidate for a short extension. The Rockies already locked up Mickey Moniak after his strong first half of 2026, and with Kyle Karros, Cole Carrigg and Hunter Goodman all giving the offense some shape, McCarthy fits as another player worth keeping around on a two-year deal.
The trade that brought him over from the Arizona Diamondbacks barely made a ripple at the time, but McCarthy turned into one of Colorado’s best stories of the season. The former first-round pick posted career highs across the board, finishing with 15 home runs, 13 triples, 30 doubles, 32 stolen bases and an .809 OPS. For a team searching for any kind of spark, he looked every bit like a true leadoff hitter.
He’s still under team control, but the Rockies have a chance to reward him before things get more complicated. McCarthy is scheduled to reach free agency in 2029, and a two-year extension would push that timeline back, avoid arbitration and keep him in purple and black through 2028.
Financially, it would not take a massive leap. McCarthy made just over $1 million this season, and a deal in the two-year, $10 million range would be a reasonable place for Colorado to start.
And there’s no mystery about the kind of offense he’s helping define. Speaking on MLB Network at the end of August, McCarthy laid out the approach plainly:
"Regardless of how the lineup is laid out, it's a lot of guys getting on base, or if it's not their night, they're working walks. When you have a well-rounded team like that, you can win a lot of games,"
For a Rockies team trying to build something sturdier, the leadoff spot is already in front of them. Now comes the part where they make sure it stays there.
In Other News...
Rockies Face One Offseason Problem That Could Define New Leadership
The Rockies spent much of a difficult 2026 season searching for answers on the mound, and the search is carrying straight into the winter. With Paul DePodesta now in the president of baseball operations chair and Matt Daniels overseeing pitching, the club is looking hard at how to build a staff that can survive Coors Field without forcing the rest of the roster to absorb the fallout. There has already been talk around the organization about unconventional pitching ideas and a more aggressive offseason, the kind of planning that starts with the staff and quickly becomes a broader roster conversation.
That matters because Colorado does not want to chase arms at the expense of the offense it has finally started to stabilize. The front office is trying to add pitching help through multiple avenues while preserving the young core on the position-player side, a balancing act that could shape the entire winter. The Rockies know the margin for error is thin, and the way they answer this problem may say as much about the new leadership group as any single move they make. [Read more 🡒]