Cleveland Sports Forum

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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1h
Noel who got off to a slow start to spring training is now hitting .327 with an .846 OPS.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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1h
Cleveland #Guardians (1B/OF) prospect Jhonkensy Noel with a mammoth 450-foot solo HR in the 6th inning vs the Padres 112.6 mph off the bat!

One thing for sure the Guardians outfield is in a much better spot than last years Spring Training.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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4m
Can confirm, per source. Cleveland #Guardians have traded INF/OF Tyler Freeman to the Rockies for OF Nolan Jones.

FO weeding out the middle infielders (Giminez, Freeman} and adding depth.

I don't think Lively's spot has been in doubt; he secured that role based on his 2024 performance; and it was guaranteed by the ineptitude of some of his potential competitors this spring like Cantillo and Cecchoni.

I also fail to see the challenge the team is choosing among Allen, McKenzie and Cantillo for the final spot. One has pitched very well. The other have pitched quite poorly. It shouldn't be hard to decide

The decision is about options and not Spring Training.

Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
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7m
Logan Allen will be the Guardians' fifth starter. Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz and Ben Lively round out the rest of the rotation.

Triston McKenzie will begin the year in the bullpen.

Guardians trade shakes up roster days before season opener: Stephen Vogt names rotation

Published: Mar. 23, 2025, 1:58 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com
GOODYEAR, Arizona — The Guardians' roster is almost complete.

There is one bullpen spot open, while a question needs to be answered in right field following Saturday’s trade of Tyler Freeman to Colorado for Nolan Jones. Other than that, things seem settled, but opening day is still three days away.

Manager Stephen Vogt told reporters on Sunday that left-hander Logan Allen has won the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation. That decision pushed Triston McKenzie, who is out of options, into the bullpen.

The rotation that will open the season Thursday in Kansas City looks like this: Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, Ben Lively and Allen.

In the bullpen, Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Cade Smith, Paul Sewald, Jakob Junis and McKenzie occupy seven of the eight spots. The last bullpen spot could go to Andrew Walters or Joey Cantillo.

GM Mike Chernoff said the Jones trade came together in the “last 48 hours.” The return of Cleveland’s No. 2 pick in 2016 draft has caused turmoil in right field.

While Jhonkensy Noel, the right-handed hitting side of the right field platoon, should make the team, Will Brennan may not. Brennan, like Jones, is a left-handed hitter. Unlike Jones, he was told by Vogt earlier in the week that he had made the opening day roster.

“I had informed Will that he was going to be on the opening day roster,” said Vogt. “With the trade happening as quickly as it did, I told him that’s now up in the air.

“No final decisions have been made. We just have to work through some things over the next few days. This was unforeseen. When you make a move or a trade, people get affected by it. We have to sort out what the best roster for us looks like.”

Chernoff and Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, met with Brennan on Sunday morning to talk about what might and might not happen.

Jones is out of options. Brennan has options.

Freeman and Jones were both removed from their starting lineups on Saturday when the trade was agreed upon. Vogt met with Freeman around noon.

“Saturday was a tough day,” said Vogt. “Tyler is one of the best people I know. It’s never fun or easy to good bye to someone you care about. I think this is going to be a great opportunity if for him and his career.

“At the same time, we’re really excited to get Nolan Jones.”

McKenzie came to spring training trying to regain his spot in the starting rotation after two years marked by injury and inconsistency. He made only 16 starts last year before being optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

Vogt said McKenzie was disappointed when he told him he was going to the bullpen.

“He was upset, disappointed and rightfully so,” said Vogt. “But he understood. He said, ‘All right, I’m ready to go get outs.' That’s who T is. He’s a pro.

Allen won the fifth spot by going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in six games, including three starts, this spring. He struck out 19 and walked four in 19 innings.

Last year, Allen went 8-5 with a 5.73 ERA in 20 starts for Cleveland.

“Logan had a great camp,” said Vogt. “Like I told him, he’s a completely different pitcher than the one I saw this year. That’s a credit to him.

“He came in and competed his backside off and earned the spot. He did a tremendous job.”

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Going out on the limb here, but I believe Nolan Jones will have a come back season in more ways the one in 2025. I like the trade.

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Guardians, Rockies Swap Nolan Jones, Tyler Freeman

By Nick Deeds | March 22, 2025 at 10:59pm CDT

The Guardians and Rockies have reached a deal that sent outfielder Nolan Jones to Cleveland in exchange for infielder/outfielder Tyler Freeman, according to a report from Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The deal has subsequently been announced.

The deal represents a homecoming for Jones, who was a second-round pick by Cleveland in 2016 and made his MLB debut with the club in 2022 before being traded to Colorado in a deal that brought back Juan Brito in November of that year. Jones went on to finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting that year as he posted 3.8 fWAR/4.3 bWAR for the Rockies, slugging 20 homers and swiping 20 bases while splitting time between the outfield corners and first base. In all, Jones slashed .297/.389/.542 that season, which even in the inflated offensive environment Coors Field provides was good for an excellent 137 wRC+. Meanwhile, Brito has yet to make his big league debut for the Guardians but posted a strong .256/.365/.443 line in 144 games at Triple-A for the club last year.

As impressive as Jones’s first year in Colorado was, however, he suffered a significant sophomore slump in his second year with the club. Back issues limited him to just 79 games, and when he was healthy enough to take the field he was ineffective with a lackluster .227/.321/.320 slash line. While a downturn in production should have always been expected relative to his 2023 campaign given Jones’s unbelievable .400 BABIP that year, Jones’s lost power production was something of a shock. After barreling up a whopping 15.7% of his batted balls in 2023, that number cratered to just 5.9% last year despite his overall rate of hard hit batted balls increasing from 40.9% to 44.4%. That came primarily from a massive spike in groundball rate, as Jones hit 52.7% of his batted balls on the ground last year, ten points higher than the year prior. That left him to club just three homers last year and enter his age-27 campaign with plenty of questions about what his production would look like this year.

Those questions will now be answered back in Cleveland, where Jones now appears likely to have the opportunity to lock down the club’s regular right field job, which to this point appeared likely to be filled by Will Brennan. Jones offers more proven upside than Brennan, 27, who posted roughly league average offensive numbers in a platoon role with the Guardians last year. Brennan, unlike Jones, has options remaining and can be sent to Triple-A as depth for the coming season. Should he replace Brennan on the roster, Jones could share time in right field with right-handed slugger Jhonkensy Noel if the Guardians want to spell him against left-handed pitchers, though Johnathan Rodriguez is another option on the 40-man roster.

As for the Rockies, they’ll be parting with Jones to bring in Freeman, a versatile utility bat with the ability to play quality defense all over the diamond but minimal offensive potential. A career 83 wRC+ hitter who slashed .209/.305/.321 (84 wRC+) in 118 games with the Guardians last year, Freeman spent the majority of his time in center field but also got brief looks at shortstop, third base, and second base throughout the season. With Brenton Doyle locked in as the everyday center fielder in Colorado, it seems likely that Freeman will be tasked with a more regular return to the dirt in 2025. While a utility role off the bench could be in Freeman’s future given the presence of Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop and Ryan McMahon at third base, an injury to Thairo Estrada earlier this week opened up regular playing time at the keystone for at least the start of the season. Given that, it seems likely that Freeman will either serve as the Rockies’ regular second baseman or split time with veteran utility man Kyle Farmer at the position while Estrada recovers from the broken wrist that figures to sideline him for four to eight weeks.

Freeman was projected to be part of the Guardians’ bench mix come Opening Day, likely serving as a backup center field option behind Lane Thomas as well as a potential platoon partner for either Brennan or Kyle Manzardo. It’s possible a more regular outfielder like Rodriguez or Angel Martinez could be asked to take on that role, but one potentially intriguing candidate to join the club’s roster would be Brito himself. Brito is mostly an infielder with the vast majority of his time in the minors spent at second base, but he got a look in right field last year and could be an intriguing addition to the club’s bench mix as long as they believe in Lane Thomas as a legitimate everyday option in center field.

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As impressive as Jones’s first year in Colorado was, however, he suffered a significant sophomore slump in his second year with the club. Back issues limited him to just 79 games, and when he was healthy enough to take the field he was ineffective with a lackluster .227/.321/.320 slash line.

With the way the bottom half of this lineup hits, a .227/.321/.320 slash line looks impressive. Certainly a welcome addition to this lineup which is a reason why I have a lot of optimism for Jones.

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Guardians Insider Details Crazy Nolan Jones Timeline

March 23, 2025

By Andres Chavez

Usually, when a team trades away a player, it’s because they have effectively moved on from him, or need to flip him to get something they want or covet in return.

That’s why an organization that has traded a player rarely tries to pursue him in the future even if their needs change.

But the Cleveland Guardians aren’t worried about what people might say or think.

They just want to get better right now.

That’s why they, on Saturday, traded for outfielder Nolan Jones a little over two years after dealing him to Colorado for Juan Brito.

It has been a crazy few years for Jones as far as his trajectory goes, but here he is, ready to help the Guardians again.

Guardians Prospective puts everything in perspective, detailing the dates of every move involving Jones during his pro career.

“Cleveland #Guardians OF Nolan Jones timeline. Drafted – 6/9/2016. Signed – 7/1/2016. MLB Debut – 7/8/2022. Traded to Rockies – 11/15/2022. Traded to Cleveland – 3/22/2025,” he posted on X.






Cleveland #Guardians OF Nolan Jones timeline.

Drafted - 6/9/2016
Signed - 7/1/2016
MLB Debut - 7/8/2022
Traded to Rockies - 11/15/2022
Traded to Cleveland - 3/22/2025

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Guardians News and Notes: “Busy Few Days” - Mike Chernoff

News and Notes for Sunday, March 23rd, 2025

Well, yesterday was interesting for the Cleveland Guardians!

Tanner Bibee was extended, potentially through 2030.

Tyler Freeman was traded to the Rockies for Nolan Jones.

Mike Chernoff was on the broadcast saying that they look to “have a busy next few days” so stay tuned for more news. Will Brennan and Gabriel Arias were reportedly held out of the game yesterday - because of trades, because of conversations about playing time changes? Time will tell. Meanwhile, with Freeman gone, will camp standout Will Wilson crack the roster?

Jim Rosenhause released another episode of Guardians Weekly to listen to while you await further news. Plus, the Guardians play the Reds at 3:05PM EDT today.

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Rockies Make Surprising Move, Trading Young Outfielder to Guardians

Nolan Jones is going back to where his career began. In a surprising move, the Colorado Rockies traded Jones to the Cleveland Guardians for utility player Tyler Freeman, per multiple sources. The young outfielder spent 2023-24 with Colorado after a brief stint with the Guardians in 2022. Two years later, the two sides have reunited on a deal involving Jones again. Both Freeman and Jones struggled last season for their respective clubs and might benefit from a change of scenery.






Jones Struggled in 2024

Jones appeared to be a boon for the Rockies when they acquired him for little before the 2023 season. Paired with star center fielder Brenton Doyle in the outfield, the Rockies had one of the best defensive outfields in the sport. Combined with his 100th-percentile arm per Statcast, Jones was excellent offensively in 2023. Over 367 at-bats, Jones hit .297/.389/.542 with a stellar 62 RBI. He also recorded a 20/20 season for Colorado with 20 homers and 20 steals. Going into 2024, Jones was one of the most intriguing Rockies to follow. However, he suffered a steep drop-off.

Jones struggled mightily to begin the season and never recovered. He dealt with various injuries and never saw a sustained stretch of consistent play. Over 256 at-bats, Jones hit just .227/.321/.320 with only three homers, 28 RBI, and five steals. Per Statcast, his xwOBA and barrel% dropped from .362 and 15.7% in 2023 to .287 and 5.9%, respectively.

Trade Is a Perplexing Move by Colorado

The trade seemingly came out of nowhere, as there were no trade rumors for Jones. Considering he is still only 26, the thinking was that the Rockies would count on him, resembling his strong 2023 after a down 2024. However, the Rockies had seen all they needed to see and traded Jones back to Cleveland just under a week before the regular season began. In 47 at-bats in Cactus League play, Jones has hit .234/.280/.298 with zero homers and seven RBI.

While Doyle has the center field position locked down for years to come, a corner outfield spot is now up for grabs. Prized prospect Zac Veen, who has had a stellar spring, could now be a major candidate to fill that role. Outfielders Sean Bouchard and Jordan Beck also saw time in the corner outfield spots last season.

Over 330 at-bats in 2024, Freeman hit .209/.305/.321 with 32 RBI and seven home runs. He primarily played in center but also saw time in the infield. While the Rockies have several candidates to fill roles in the outfield, newly signed second baseman Thairo Estrada suffered a wrist fracture that will leave him out for four to eight weeks. While veteran infielder Kyle Farmer was mentioned as a potential replacement, Freeman could also now be in play. It will be interesting to see what Colorado has planned for their new addition. Meanwhile, Jones will look to regain his 2023 form in his old stomping grounds.

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