Guardians keep giving chances to Nolan Jones

The Cleveland Guardians watched Nolan Jones rise through their system, then they traded him to the Colorado Rockies in late 2022.

This is a guy they can't quit, though.

So before last season, the Guardians traded Tyler Freeman to the Rockies to get Jones back.

And then after a bumpy season, Cleveland chose to sign Jones to a new contract for the season ahead anyway.

Clearly, the Guardians believe in the player Jones can be. But Jones is running out of time to be that guy.

"Jones finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2023 with the Rockies, but has dealt with injuries and offensive struggles the past two seasons," MLB.com's Tim Stebbins wrote on Tuesday in a new article. "The Guardians reacquired their one-time top prospect last March, and he slashed .211/.296/.304 with five homers over 136 games in 2025. Cleveland believes in Jones' potential; it avoided arbitration with him in November (one-year, $2 million deal). But the club has a bevy of young outfielders vying for playing time this spring, and Jones will look to have a strong camp to begin putting last season behind him."

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Jones certainly looks the part. He's a big, strong, left-handed hitter who can show off a strong arm from right field.

He has lacked the consistency needed to succeed at the major league level, though, and Cleveland can't give him forever.

The Guardians simply haven't solved their outfield in recent years, particularly right field. Jones was one guy given plenty of runway to be the solution without making it happen.

He may still have more chances to come. After all, Cleveland can't give up on him, apparently. But even in that context, Jones has to be running out of opportunities.

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