📢 TOP STORY: Cleveland backs Nolan Jones despite last season’s dip, raising the biggest question: what do the Guardians know that the rest of us don’t ⚡.NL

The Cleveland Guardians are betting on a bounce-back from Nolan Jones – and it’s not a small gamble. After a rough 2025 season at the plate, the club is giving the former Rockies slugger another shot, handing him a one-year, $2 million deal for 2026. It’s a move that speaks volumes about how the Guardians operate: calculated, cost-conscious, and always eyeing upside.

Let’s be real – Jones struggled last year. A .211 average over 355 at-bats with 113 strikeouts isn’t going to turn heads, unless it’s in the wrong direction.

But the Guardians are clearly not ready to give up on him. They believe 2025 was an outlier, not a trend.

And they’re pointing to his 2023 campaign with Colorado as proof of what he’s capable of when things click: a .297 average, 20 home runs, and a .931 OPS. That’s not just solid – that’s middle-of-the-order production.

The key here is that Jones is out of minor league options. So this isn’t a “let’s see how spring training goes” kind of situation. If he’s on the roster, he’s playing – and the Guardians are hoping that the player who mashed in Colorado can resurface in Cleveland.

Now, not every fan is going to be thrilled with this move. And that’s understandable.

When a team brings back a player coming off a down year, especially one with contact issues like Jones, it can feel like settling. But this is who the Guardians are.

They don’t chase big-ticket free agents. Don’t expect them to be in on names like Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker.

That’s not their lane.

Instead, Cleveland leans into development. They focus on drafting well, building from within, and finding value where others see risk.

Sometimes that means giving a guy like Jones a second chance, even when the numbers suggest caution. It’s not flashy.

It’s not always popular. But it’s a strategy that’s kept them competitive – and in the postseason conversation – more often than not.

The Guardians know they can’t outspend the heavyweights, so they have to out-think them. That means trusting their evaluations, even when the recent stats tell a different story. In Jones’ case, they’re banking on a return to form – and if he gets anywhere close to his 2023 production, this deal could look like a steal.

It’s a classic Cleveland move: low risk, high potential reward, and a reminder that in this organization, patience isn’t just a virtue – it’s part of the blueprint.