A stunning trade was announced this afternoon. First reported on by Thomas Harding and later confirmed by the organization, the Colorado Rockies have traded outfielder Nolan Jones to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for infielder and outfielder Tyler Freeman.

In going home to Cleveland, Jones, 26, returns to the team he was drafted by. The Rockies acquired him from the Guardians prior to the 2023 season in exchange for second base prospect Juan Brito.

Jones started the 2023 season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, but when injuries in the outfield required the Rockies to call him up, he made an immediate difference. Hitting .297/.389/.542 in 106 games as the team’s primary left fielder, Jones finished in fourth place for National League Rookie of the Year voting and was the first-ever Rockies rookie to achieve a 20/20 season. He also played strong defense with great speed and one of the league’s strongest arms.

Unfortunately, Jones struggled in 2024. He dealt with injuries to both his back and knee—as well as a health scare with his infant daughter—that held him to just 79 games. He also dealt with mental pressure to perform after his strong debut. Jones hit just .227/.321/.320 with only three home runs and five stolen bases in 2024.

However, he was preparing to rebound in 2025 with a positive mindset.

“I’m not going tell myself, ‘You have to go out and hit 40 home runs this year,’ ” he said. “That doesn’t work. I’m just going to go out there and be Nolan Jones. That’s the mentality that I’m going to stick with.”

So far in spring training Jones is hitting 11-for-47 with three doubles and seven RBIs. He missed much of last week with an illness.

Tyler Freeman—who will be 26 in May—has played almost every position in his first three big-league seasons. Although primarily a center fielder and middle infielder, he has at least one appearance everywhere but catcher and right field.

Freeman was once ranked as high as the Guardians’ no. 5 organizational prospect in 2022. However, he has largely struggled at the big league level. In 206 career MLB games, he has hit .223/.304/.329 and is worth a career 0.3 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference.

Freeman is capable of the occasional home run, but he is mostly a contact hitter without a lot of true power. He has also done well at avoiding strikeouts with a 14.8% career rate, and he doesn’t chase much. That said, he also doesn’t draw many walks due to his tendency to put the ball in play.

In 2024, Freeman sawmost successful season so far. He appeared in 118 games—mostly in center field—and hit .209/.305/.321 with 14 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, and 11 stolen bases.

Freeman is hitting 12-for-39 this spring with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, six RBIs, and a stolen base.

It is unclear what this move means for the Rockies moving forward.

The Rockies originally planned to have Kyle Farmer play second base in the wake of Thairo Estrada’s broken wrist, but Freeman is now an option to play there as well. The departure of Jones also opens up a potential roster spot for top prospect Zac Veen or non-roster invitee Nick Martini.