The Guardians and Rockies have reached a deal that despatched outfielder Nolan Jones to Cleveland in trade for infielder/outfielder Tyler Freeman, in line with a report from Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The deal has subsequently been introduced.
The deal represents a homecoming for Jones, who was a second-round decide by Cleveland in 2016 and made his MLB debut with the membership in 2022 earlier than being traded to Colorado in a deal that introduced again Juan Brito in November of that 12 months. Jones went on to complete fourth in NL Rookie of the Yr voting that 12 months as he posted 3.8 fWAR/4.3 bWAR for the Rockies, slugging 20 homers and swiping 20 bases whereas splitting time between the outfield corners and first base. In all, Jones slashed .297/.389/.542 that season, which even within the inflated offensive setting Coors Subject offers was good for a superb 137 wRC+. In the meantime, Brito has but to make his large league debut for the Guardians however posted a robust .256/.365/.443 line in 144 video games at Triple-A for the membership final 12 months.
As spectacular as Jones’s first 12 months in Colorado was, nevertheless, he suffered a major sophomore hunch in his second 12 months with the membership. Again points restricted him to simply 79 video games, and when he was wholesome sufficient to take the sphere he was ineffective with a lackluster .227/.321/.320 slash line. Whereas a downturn in manufacturing ought to have at all times been anticipated relative to his 2023 marketing campaign given Jones’s unbelievable .400 BABIP that 12 months, Jones’s misplaced energy manufacturing was one thing of a shock. After barreling up a whopping 15.7% of his batted balls in 2023, that quantity cratered to simply 5.9% final 12 months regardless of his total price of exhausting hit batted balls growing from 40.9% to 44.4%. That got here primarily from a large spike in groundball price, as Jones hit 52.7% of his batted balls on the bottom final 12 months, ten factors greater than the 12 months prior. That left him to membership simply three homers final 12 months and enter his age-27 marketing campaign with loads of questions on what his manufacturing would appear to be this 12 months.
These questions will now be answered again in Cleveland, the place Jones now seems prone to have the chance to lock down the membership’s common proper subject job, which up to now appeared prone to be stuffed by Will Brennan. Jones presents extra confirmed upside than Brennan, 27, who posted roughly league common offensive numbers in a platoon function with the Guardians final 12 months. Brennan, not like Jones, has choices remaining and might be despatched to Triple-A as depth for the approaching season. Ought to he change Brennan on the roster, Jones might share time in proper subject with right-handed slugger Jhonkensy Noel if the Guardians need to spell him in opposition to left-handed pitchers, although Johnathan Rodriguez is another choice on the 40-man roster.
As for the Rockies, they’ll be parting with Jones to herald Freeman, a flexible utility bat with the power to play high quality protection all around the diamond however minimal offensive potential. A profession 83 wRC+ hitter who slashed .209/.305/.321 (84 wRC+) in 118 video games with the Guardians final 12 months, Freeman spent the vast majority of his time in middle subject but in addition acquired transient appears at shortstop, third base, and second base all through the season. With Brenton Doyle locked in because the on a regular basis middle fielder in Colorado, it appears doubtless that Freeman will likely be tasked with a extra common return to the grime in 2025. Whereas a utility function off the bench could possibly be in Freeman’s future given the presence of Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop and Ryan McMahon at third base, an harm to Thairo Estrada earlier this week opened up common enjoying time on the keystone for not less than the beginning of the season. On condition that, it appears doubtless that Freeman will both function the Rockies’ common second baseman or break up time with veteran utility man Kyle Farmer on the place whereas Estrada recovers from the damaged wrist that figures to sideline him for 4 to eight weeks.
Freeman was projected to be a part of the Guardians’ bench combine come Opening Day, doubtless serving as a backup middle subject possibility behind Lane Thomas in addition to a possible platoon associate for both Brennan or Kyle Manzardo. It’s doable a extra common outfielder like Rodriguez or Angel Martinez could possibly be requested to tackle that function, however one doubtlessly intriguing candidate to affix the membership’s roster can be Brito himself. Brito is generally an infielder with the overwhelming majority of his time within the minors spent at second base, however he acquired a glance in proper subject final 12 months and could possibly be an intriguing addition to the membership’s bench combine so long as they imagine in Lane Thomas as a professional on a regular basis possibility in middle subject.
