Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy touched on the trade rumors that came up during the offseason involving his name and Alek Thomas’.
With the Diamondbacks’ closer role still not cemented and with Arizona having a loaded outfield with McCarthy, Thomas, Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk, and with Jorge Barrosa and Cristian Pache providing additional depth, the belief was Arizona could have moved Thomas or McCarthy to bolster the team’s bullpen.
The Diamondbacks took calls from other teams inquiring about McCarthy and Thomas, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported in November, but the pair was ultimately kept in the desert.
“I feel like (the trade rumors) have always been around so it’s like par for the course,” McCarthy told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Wednesday. “I don’t really think it’s my job to necessarily look into that stuff.
“Maybe when the first time I saw something like that, it’s like, oh it gets your attention, but I try to simplify my job, and it’s to help the team win games, be a good baseball player and I just don’t think playing GM is ever healthy.”
Jake McCarthy looks to find same consistency he found in 2024
McCarthy struggled with inconsistency and injuries in 2023 before bouncing back with a strong 2024 season. He slashed .285/.349/.400 and was named a Gold Glove finalist for his play in right field.
McCarthy hit just eight home runs last season, but he found consistency at the plate for much of the year. He hit .295 in April, .259 in May, .286 in June, .345 in July and .311 in August, before cooling off and posting a .234 average over September and October.
“I mean, that’s the goal,” McCarthy said about his consistency. “Obviously, you want to always improve, but I think being close to the same guy from April to September, October, whatever, that’s huge, especially with the season as long as ours. I just think you want to be reliable.”
And McCarthy is not worried about his lack of power or how many home runs he hits, either.
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“You just want it to be organic,” McCarthy said of his lack of home runs. “I don’t want to go up just selling out for power to the pole side and then you start chasing and just having bad at- bats. So if it comes with refining the approach and being more selective, so be it. That’s great. But I don’t think it’s like a goal to hit 20 no matter what.”
In addition to finding consistency at the plate, the 27-year-old spent the whole season in the big leagues for the first time in his career, playing 142 games and totaling 495 plate appearances.
“I mean, it’s the goal. You want to be up here, right? You don’t want to be a minor leaguer,” McCarthy said. “But I think every time you fail, it’s good for you. Obviously, when you get that plane ticket to Reno, it’s no fun.”
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