Guardians outfielder reveals wild story behind offseason trade

Matt Sullivan

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Guardians outfielder reveals wild story behind offseason trade image

In the offseason, the Cleveland Guardians and the Colorado Rockies swung a trade, sending Nolan Jones to Cleveland and Tyler Freeman to Colorado. The trade was completed on March 22nd, shortly before the season began.

It was an odd deal, which, at the time, many questioned why the Rockies would make such a trade, since Jones had shown incredible potential in Colorado in 2023. Though his 2024 was a down year, the move looked to be a solid one for Cleveland.

Recently, after being in Cleveland for most of the year, Jones revealed the wild story behind the trade. During an interview with the Baseball Isn't Boring Podcast, Jones revealed the wild sequence of events, from when he found out he was traded, the long wait to hear where, and the incredible way he figured out where he was being traded.

Nolan Jones Reveals Wild Story Behind Trade From Rockies

"Two days before the season started, we had just shipped all of our stuff to Colorado that morning..." Jones said. "I was getting dressed for our 1:00 Spring Training game, walking out of the tunnel, and the GM over there in Colorado stopped me and said, 'Go stop by Buddy's office.' They basically called me in and told me I was being traded, but it was pending physicals, so they were unable to tell me where."

The trade happened shortly before the season began, which was already a wild aspect of the trade, but as Jones described, the circumstances behind finding out are equally as wild. He was gearing up for a bounce-back season in Colorado and was getting ready for a Spring Training game before finding out he was being traded.

That alone would already be a wild trade story, but it only got more wild from there. Jones revealed the way he found out about where he was being traded, and the long wait between finding out he was traded, and eventually, to where.

"So I went about four hours, they told me to get dressed, pack up my stuff, and... I had no idea where I was going." Jones said.

When asked whether Jones was trying to figure out where he had been dealt, Jones revealed an incredible story, which included a call to a friend, who inadvertently broke the news of his trade destination.

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"So actually, I called Sam Hentges, who was one of my best friends here with Cleveland, to talk to him through the whole situation or whatever, and he didn't answer," Jones said.

"So this is probably two hours after I got told (about the trade), so I called Tyler Freeman. Tyler was basically in tears, upset (Freeman said), 'told me I got traded, but can't tell me where, because it's pending a physical, so upset,' and I was like, 'well, I think I know where you're going.' So, yeah, that's kind of how I found out."

It's an incredible story of being traded. From gearing up for a bounce-back season in Colorado, to finding out he's being traded but not knowing where for multiple hours, to calling a friend, who just so happened to be the player he was being traded for, it's a wild sequence of events.

Jones is hitting .214 on the year and has struggled overall. Being dealt right before the season almost certainly didn't help him bounce back from a rough 2024.

Under team control through 2028, Jones will likely be featured in the Guardians' offense in 2026, especially if he can make it through Spring Training without being dealt.

The story of Jones's trade from the Rockies to the Guardians is a wild one. After not knowing his trade destination, he made a call with Freeman, who was the player he was being traded for. The odds of such a situation happening are incredibly low, further making this stunning late March trade all the more wild.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.