Opening Day may be just a few days away, but that hasn't stopped the Cleveland Guardians from making some fairly significant roster moves and decisions.
One of the most surprising moves was the Guardians trading UTL Tyler Freeman to the Colorado Rockies to re-acquire OF Nolan Jones, who started his career in Cleveland.
Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt offered his reaction to the trade on Sunday and focused on both sides of making a transaction like this.
"We're really excited to get Nolan Jones. I know I don't know him very well. I haven't seen him play a whole lot, but obviously, watching from afar and hearing the way people speak about him here, I'm really excited to get to know him and watch him play," said Vogt.
"For Nolan, he's walking into a building full of people that love him and care about him and are thrilled to see him back. He's got a clean slate, and I'm excited to see what he can do."
Jones steps into a now crowded outfield with himself, Will Brennan, and Jhonkensy Noel all battling for playing time.
Vogt admitted, "We've got a lot to work through. Obviously, we're still making decisions for that part of the roster."
Seeing how Jones factors into the right field equation will be interesting.
On the other hand, trades like this one are always difficult because it means a player who's made an impact is leaving the organization.
Freeman has done nothing but work his tail off through the ups and downs since he was drafted by Cleveland in 2017.
Vogt acknowledged that transactions such as this one aren't easy and that he'll still be in Freeman's corner no matter what team he's playing for.
"It was a tough day. Tyler is one of the best people I know. It's never fun or easy to say goodbye to someone you love or care about like that, and we wish Tyler nothing but the best," said Vogt.
"I think this is going to be a great opportunity for him and his career, and he's got a big fan from me and I'll continue to support him from afar because I care about him and want the best for him."
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