A trade that is reportedly in the works would bring an interesting prospect to Baltimore, as the Orioles are apparently close to sending pitcher Alex Cobb to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Jahmai Jones.
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Details of the expected trade were reported by several news outlets on Monday afternoon, but neither team had announced the deal as of Monday night. The Orioles are expected to pay more than half of the $15 million remaining on their contract with Cobb. Given the nuances of the deal, it could be another day or two before an official announcement, according to The Athletic’s Dan Connolly, but Jones has been widely reported as being part of the return for the Orioles. If that happens as expected, the Orioles will pick up a prospect who struggled in his last full season, but that still offers some upside.
Selected by the Angels in the second round of the 2015 Draft out of Wesleyan School (Norcross, GA), Jones began his professional career as an outfielder but has played second base regularly since 2018. He made his major-league debut with the Angels last year, going 3-for-7 (.429) in three games. Baseball America, which ranks Jones as the eighth-best prospect in the Angels’ farm system, reported that he hit seven home runs at the organization’s alternate training site last summer, suggesting that he might have made some progress at the plate despite the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season.
Jones’s most recent full season came in 2019 at Double-A Mobile, where he delivered mixed results. On the surface, his stats at the plate were not that great—he batted .234/.308/.324 across 544 plate appearances, with five home runs with an 86 wRC+. However, most reports have noted that Jones was held back by a somewhat low batting average on balls in play (.288), among some of the signs that suggest he performed better than his baseline stats suggest. In describing his 2019 season, Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs wrote in June that Jones’s “underlying TrackMan data was still favorable (39% of balls in play hit 95 mph or above),” while pointing out that he was a college-age player who spent a full season in Double-A. Jones ended 2019 on a high note by posting solid numbers in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .302/.377/.509 over 61 plate appearances.
Although his stock might not be as high as it was when he regularly appeared on Top-100 Prospect lists before the 2018 season, most outlets still rank Jones among the 10 best prospects in the Angels farm system. BA placed him eigth and MLB Pipeline has him seventh, with the latter describing him as a player with “plenty of bat speed and some extra-base authority to still tap into at the plate.”
The acquisition of Jones would give the Orioles another versatile prospect that could factor into their plans at the majors soon. His speed and plate discipline have generally drawn good reviews, and he will look to add to that skillset with an improved hit tool and power. He might also have room to improve at second base, as he only began playing the position regularly in 2018 and obviously lost significant development time with the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season.
In the immediate future, Jones would provide the Orioles with some flexibility. Yolmer Sanchez is expected to be the team’s starting second baseman, but Jones might have a shot at the Opening Day roster if the team values his speed and versatility in a reserve role. Should the club decide that the 23-year-old needs more time in the minors, he would likely be assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, where they would have the option of playing him at multiple positions to assure that he gets regular at-bats.
Jones would come to the Orioles as part of the return for Cobb, who is entering the final year of a four-year, $57 million deal he signed before the 2018 season. The right-hander was limited to just 31 starts over his first two years in Baltimore because of injuries but he was generally productive over the abbreviated 60-game 2020 season, posting a 4.30 ERA, 4.87 FIP, and 4.21 xFIP in 52 1/3 innings over 10 starts.
Cobb has been expected to be the number-two starter behind John Means in the Orioles Opening Day rotation. However, he is now reportedly on track to join an Angels team that must get more production out of its starting rotation to contend for a playoff spot after going 26-34 last year.
Under Mike Elias, the Orioles have made the Angels a frequent trade partner over the last two offseasons. Right-hander Dylan Bundy was dealt to the Angels for four pitching prospects following the 2019 season, while shortstop José Iglesias was traded there earlier this offseason for a deal that brought back pitching prospects Garrett Stallings (currently the Orioles’ 27th-best prospect, according to BSL) and Jean Pinto.
If this trade is added to that list, I think it can be regarded as a good deal for the Orioles. Cobb does not factor into their long-term plans, and the Orioles would at least pickup a young, cost-controlled player in return for the final year of Cobb’s contract. Jones, meanwhile, offers enough athleticism to see if he can put together more consistent success at the plate to force his way into the conversation for regular playing time at the majors. If nothing else, he gives the club another intriguing option as they continue to stockpile their organization with young talent.
Orioles Analyst
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, and Loyola University; Spedden has previously spent time in the Washington Nationals organization as a videographer for the Hagerstown Suns. As a blogger, Spedden is an Editor / Writer for the Suns fan club. Additionally, he contributes to The Nats Blog as a prospect writer, and Ballpark Digest. For BSL, Spedden covers the Orioles Minor Leagues. Co-Host of The Verge: https://anchor.fm/the-verge