The Return of NoJo and Long Live Freeman
Some times trades happen and they make sense for all parties. Both sides get what they need, the value is set up to where neither team is left lacking, and the universe is happy. Then there are trades that no one understands what one or the other side is doing. [Cough cough Luka trade cough cough.] There is a weird third option where it works for both but the idea is just that: weird. Enter the recent transaction made between the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Guardians.
The trade: Nolan Jones for Tyler Freeman
We’ve been clamoring for the front office to trade from their depth of middle infield options for years now and we have finally seen some action on that front. First it was the Andres Gimenez trade that no one saw coming that helped bolster the starting rotation and now we have seen Freeman spun back out for Nolan Jones. The trade in and of itself makes sense for both teams: Cleveland was unimpressed with Freeman’s abilities and have other flashier options at the keystone to try out before 1.1 Travis Bazzana is ready and needed thump in the lineup/outfield to pair with Jhonkensey Noel, and Colorado had extra outfielders to trade from and help replace at bats at shortstop since Ezequiel Tovar broke his wrist and could be out for two months.
The oddity of the deal is not that it works, it’s just the pieces involved. Two years ago, Cleveland shipped Jones out to the Rocky Mountains without much trial at the major league level to acquire positionless prospect Juan Brito. Much hay was made about Jones not being given a fair shake, about the lack of need for yet another MIF prospect, about kicking the can down the road and getting yet another mystery box to add to the collection of “it could be anything, Lois, maybe even a boat!”. Brito is just now knocking on the door of the bigs, and now the player he was dealt for is back in the same organization
The chances of Jones being back with the team that drafted and developed him are slim, especially given his service time. Occasionally, you’ll see players come back after a year or so, but only after they are veterans. Carlos Santana is a prime example, as we are now on his third stint with the team. But for a guy to only have two years in the majors and acquired again is a rarity.
Two things can be right at the same time as well: the Guardians seemed to have won the second Nolan Jones trade while, in acquiring him again, admit they made a mistake in dealing him away the first time. They didn’t give him enough runway the first go around, 28 games and 94 plate appearances, and while they might have gotten good value for him at the time, it’s obvious in going back to the well, that his presence as a left handed power bat were needed in the organization. They bet on Will Brennan becoming something more than a loud-contact-no-juice presence in center or right field, and it’s obvious now that he is on the chopping block as we near Opening Day cutdowns. Jones had a great 2023: 20 HR, 22 doubles, 20 stolen bases while hitting .297 and achieving a .931 OPS. However, his 2024 was marred by back injuries, and he wasn’t able to generate the power he needed to be useful. The presence of prospects Zac Veen and Jordan Beck alongside [I guess?] not wanting to lose out on NRI Nick Martini [???] made Jones expendable and losing Tovar for 4-8 weeks pushed them to acquire another infielder.
As for Freeman, I do feel like he was given every opportunity to be something more and it fell flat. He’s limited offensively, a .626 OPS in 383 plate appearances in 2024 when he was the Opening Day centerfielder, and never seemed to be able to attain the expectations of “steady hitter who isn’t flashy”. Maybe the thin mountain air will unlock some line drives for him, but the ceiling is just so limited with what he can do that the floor looks lower than it should. Gabriel Arias figures to be the Opening Day second baseman, Daniel Schneemann will be the super-sub utility infielder, and there are more than enough guys in the organization that can come up and help if one or both are incapable of being productive. With Bazzana in the wings, and a late season callup possible, it makes sense for Cleveland to tend to their power woes in the outfield and pair Jones with Noel. If all things work out, [And how often does that actually happen?] Cleveland could see a combined 35-40 home runs hit by their right field platoon. Is that a completely rose-colored glasses, 99th percentile, homer-tastic outcome? Absolutely. But I can assure you that wasn’t happening with Freeman on the roster.
