Grading The Nolan Jones, Cleveland Guardians Trade

Trading for Nolan Jones will add another power threat to the Cleveland Guardians' lineup.

Tommy Wild | Mar 23, 2025

Jul 9, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones (33) takes batting practice against the Kansas City Royals prior to the game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians made some intriguing trades over the offseason and made one more with less than a week to go before Opening Day.

On Saturday, the team announced they had traded for OF Nolan Jones from the Colorado Rockies (who was drafted and started his career in Cleveland) for UTL Tyler Freeman.

Let's take a closer look at this transaction and grade the trade.

Guardians Trade For Nolan Jones - Grade: B

The Guardians reacquiring Jones is a risky move for a few reasons.

First, he's been injury-prone throughout his career, and Cleveland should be well aware of that. Because of his health, Jones only played 79 games during the 2024 season.

Jones has a ton of pop in his swing but also carries a swing-and-miss rate with that. He has a career strikeout rate of 30.4 percent, and this was one of the main reasons the Guardians traded Jones away to begin with.

However, when Jones is at the top of his game, he can be one of the better power hitters in a lineup. He showed this in 2023 with 20 home runs and a .931 OPS.

😱NOLAN JONES 472 FEET TO END THE GAME pic.twitter.com/CxilXikIM5
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 11, 2023

The Guardians also desperately need to improve their lineup against right-handed pitching, and Jones will do just that. He has a career OPS+ of 106 and a .820 OPS in his career against right-handed pitchers.

Maybe Jones won't fully replicate his 2023 season with the Guardians this year, but if he can find a middle ground between that and his first stint in Cleveland, he'll be a clear upgrade for this lineup.

The risk associated with this trade is the reason for the B grade.

Aug 12, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Nolan Jones (33) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Not only is there a risk with Jones's health and production, but there's also a possibility the Guardians will regret trading away Freeman.

Cleveland held an open competition at second base during spring training, and Freeman looked like the best option out of that group.

The Guardians could quickly regret this trade if Freeman flourishes in Colorado and Gabriel Arias, Daniel Schneemann, or whoever else sees time at second base earlier in the season struggles.

Overall, there is a clear vision with this trade.

There are certainly some risks involved that can't be ignored, but it should deepen the Guardians' lineup and improve their overall slugging stats this year.

Guardians Trade For Nolan Jones - Grade: B

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