Rockies trade Nolan Jones to Guardians for infielder-outfielder Tyler Freeman

Nolan Jones was at one point considered part of the hope the Colorado Rockies had for a better future. But as an outfielder, he happens to work in an area where the Rockies had a surplus of youthful talent.

And as is often the case, the surplus gets dealt when there’s a pressing need.

The Rockies needed a second baseman in the wake of Thairo Estrada’s broken right wrist. Jones found himself squeezed by other outfielders having outstanding months in the Cactus League. And now Jones is on his way back to the team that shipped him to Colorado in the first place.

The Rockies sent Jones to the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, acquiring infielder-outfielder Tyler Freeman in the deal.

MLB.com’s Thomas Harding acquire versatile infielder-outfielder Tyler Freeman“>was first to report the news.

Last year, Freeman worked at second base, third base, shortstop and center field, as well as in the designated-hitter spot. In three seasons to date, he’s never posted an OPS of .700 and hasn’t logged a .250 batting average for a season.

But that’s not the value of Freeman. He’s proven to be adept with the glove — so much that the Guardians plugged him in at center field last year, even though he’d never played it before as a pro.

Freeman should share time at second base with Kyle Farmer.

Tyler Freeman goes airborne to make an incredible grab 😳

(MLB x @Chevrolet) pic.twitter.com/umoZCtqLfS

— MLB (@MLB) May 17, 2024

With that, the Rockies turned the page on one potential future and moved on to another.

AN EVENTFUL TWO YEARS WITH NOLAN JONES

Acquired by the Rockies from the Guardians in November 2022, Nolan Jones got off to a splendid start after making his Colorado debut on May 26, 2023, posting a 1.045 OPS in his first 25 games with the Rockies.

Jones’ form tailed off for a while, but he sizzled near the season’s end, posting a 1.112 OPS in September and October 2023, hitting .349 with 7 home runs and 12 stolen bases in that span.

But Nolan Jones also struck out 27 times in those 29 September and October games, which augured for an issue he had during the 73 games in which he played in a frustrating 2024 season that saw two separate trips to the injured list. Jones started slowly and despite some creative ideas to get out of the funk, never recovered.

The OPS of Nolan Jones plummeted from a robust .931 in 2023 to .641 in 2024. His slash line descended from .297/.389/.542 to .227/.321./.320.

After striking out in 29.7 percent of his plate appearances in 2023, Jones whiffed 30.6 percent of the time last season.

Had Nolan Jones posted enough plate appearances to qualify, that percentage would have been the fourth-worst in Major League Baseball.

Jones’ hard-hit percentage rose last year — from 41.7 percent to 44.9 percent — but he hit more ground balls, and his home-run rate plummeted accordingly.

But the most telling number to reveal the discrepancy was his average on balls in play (BABIP). In 2023, it was .401 — well above the typical average, which is roughly .300. Last year, it was still above average, but far less of an outlier, at .333.

The fact that his 2023 production could be explained by a statistical outlier likely weighed into the Rockies’ decision.

IT’S TIME TO LOOK AT THE NEXT GENERATION

So too, did the strong springs from Sean Bouchard and Zac Veen. Bouchard entered Saturday’s play with a 1.089 OPS and a .356/.341/.449 Cactus League line. In 248 plate appearances at the major-league level over the last three seasons, he has an .811 OPS.

Bouchard had a chance for a breakthrough in 2023, but was waylaid by a torn biceps suffered in that year’s spring training. He eventually made it back to the Rockies as a September call-up but struggled in the Cactus League last year, ensuring that he would get more at-bats with AAA Albuquerque than the Rockies.

Given that Bouchard raked with the Isotopes — posting a .324/.418/.643 line — there’s nothing more he has left to prove below the major-league level, and he needs a longer, legitimate look in Denver.

Veen earned the Abby Greer Award, given to the Rockies’ spring-training MVP, after a highlight-filled month of work that saw him hit .298 with 11 RBI, nine stolen bases, a .298 average and an .884 OPS.

This year’s Abby Greer Award Winner, given to the Rockies Spring Training MVP, is @zacveen!

Congratulations, Zac! pic.twitter.com/aTDVzZ9pQA

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 21, 2025

The Rockies’ 2021 first-round pick, Benny Montgomery, has also been in the team’s major-league camp as a non-roster invitee and started Saturday when Jones was scratched from the lineup. Jones has a .250/.357/.333 line in the Cactus League this year in 14 plate appearances prior to Saturday.

Of course, Nolan Jones isn’t exactly old; in fact, he’s nearly two years younger than the 28-year-old Bouchard.

But in the service-time game, Jones is a year ahead of Bouchard; Jones is arbitration-eligible in 2027 and free-agency eligible in 2029; Bouchard hits those benchmarks in 2028 and 2030.

Center fielder Brenton Doyle isn’t eligible for free agency until 2030. Corner outfielder Jordan Beck — who worked at both right and left field on Saturday, flipping at those spots along with Montgomery — overcame a slow Cactus League start recently, posting an .883 OPS in March.

After showing signs of steady improvement last year until a rough September, Beck — who isn’t free-agency eligible until 2031 — appears ready for a long look.

And with Kris Bryant still in the mix, that doesn’t leave any room for Nolan Jones.

So, the Rockies have the pieces they want for their next generation. It’s just that Jones was no longer one of them, just as Brendan Rodgers wasn’t.