KANSAS CITY -- Nolan Jones was preparing for the Rockies’ Cactus League game on Saturday when he got called in for a meeting. The 26-year-old learned he wasn’t going to play, after all, because he was about to be traded.
At that point, Colorado was unable to inform Jones where he was going. He walked out of the meeting “shook” and wandered hallways within the Rockies’ facility for 45 minutes. Around two hours later, he started to get a good idea of what was happening, upon calling friend and onetime Guardians teammate, Tyler Freeman.
“[Freeman] said he had been traded, and [Cleveland] told him they couldn’t tell him where he was going,” Jones said. “And so I said, ‘I might have an idea of where you’re going.’”
The Guardians and Rockies officially swapped Freeman and Jones on Saturday evening. Wednesday was Jones’ first opportunity to speak to Cleveland media since the deal, after a busy few days since he joined the organization.
“It’s been an absolute whirlwind, but I’m extremely excited,” Jones said.
Of course, Jones isn’t exactly joining a new organization. The Guardians selected him in the second round (55th overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he played six seasons in the Cleveland organization. That included his MLB debut on July 8 in ’22, when he played 28 games in the Majors.
While Jones wasn’t sure initially where Colorado was trading him last weekend, he internally ruled out the Guardians in trying to narrow down his potential destination. He didn’t expect they would look to reacquire him; Cleveland traded Jones to the Rockies for Juan Brito on Nov. 15, 2022.
“When I found out that it was Cleveland, my phone just started buzzing off the charts from all these guys,” Jones said. “… It's very nice that I was able to walk into a clubhouse and kind of feel like I never left.”
The Guardians expect the bulk of Jones’ playing time to come in right field against right-handed pitching, with Jhonkensy Noel starting against lefties. (Will Brennan was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday.) As a power-hitting lefty, Jones’ addition has a lot of upside.
Jones finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. That season, he slashed .297/.389/.542 and hit 22 doubles and 20 homers with 62 RBIs in just 106 games. He only played in 79 games in 2024 after going on the 10-day injured list twice due to a low back strain. Jones compiled a .227/.321/.320 slash line with three homers.
Jones felt his swing was in a good place after the 2023 season, and he wanted to maintain that feeling heading into ’24. He began to hit on Day 1 of the offseason and kept going.
“I felt like I wore myself out a little bit,” Jones said.
After the back issues persisted throughout the 2024 season, Jones took a different approach to his work this past offseason. For the first month, he focused solely on his physical health, attending physical therapy four times per week, and spending time with his 7-month-old daughter.
Jones said his body feels great right now. If needed, the Guardians can manage his playing time, at least early, in an effort to keep him healthy. Along with Noel, Daniel Schneemann can play right field, and DH-ing is another avenue to manage Jones’ volume.
“Our goal is to try to help keep him out on the field and be as productive as he can,” team president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said of Jones.
In the short term, the Guardians are hoping to get reacquainted with Jones as quickly as possible.
“Getting traded that close to Opening Day and not knowing anyone could be almost a midseason feel,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Our group of guys in that clubhouse, they're so welcoming. They're so accepting, and they make sure that everybody feels comfortable right away.
“Nolan feels like he's back at home. He's expressed that, and we're excited to have him.”