Milwaukee Brewers acquire Jonathan Schoop from Baltimore Orioles
By Paul Ashley
The Milwaukee Brewers missed the second Wild Card spot after finishing the season only 1.0 game back of the Colorado Rockies. They responded by being very active in the offseason with key signings and trades. They have also kept being active through the July trade season.
After already acquiring Joakim Soria from the Chicago White Sox and Mike Moustakas from the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers added another talented piece by acquiring Jonathan Schoop from the Baltimore Orioles.
Source: #Brewers get Schoop from #Orioles.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2018
Through 85 games this season, Schoop has hit 18 doubles, 1 triple, and 17 home runs. His .447 slugging percentage is the second highest by an Orioles player this season. Manny Machado was first with a .575 SLG during his time in Baltimore.
Schoop will be under team control through the 2019 season, so the Brewers will get a talented offensive player for the remainder of this season and all of next season in the trade. However, the Brewers now have a very crowded infield.
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Since acquiring Moustakas, they have used him at third base in his first 3 games. Their regular third baseman before the trade, Travis Shaw, has since played 2 games at second base and 1 game at first base. Orlando Arcia has been the primary shortstop this season, but he has struggled mightily on the offensive side through 71 games.
With Moustakas at third, Shaw at second, Jesus Aguilar at first, and Arcia struggling, Schoop will most likely be the shortstop for the Brew Crew down the stretch.
Schoop has 7 games played at shortstop in his MLB career, but only 2 of those games were starts in 2017. In the minor leagues, he played 224 total games at shortstop with a .940 fielding percentage. For comparison, his fielding percentage at second base is .984 in the MLB and .978 in the MiLB.
According to MLB.com, the Orioles will receive right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz, infielder Jean Carmona, and infielder Jonathan Villar.
Ortiz is the 7th ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Prospects by Team list for the Brewers. Through 16 games at the Double-A level this season, he holds a 3.71 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has compiled 68.0 innings pitched between 11 starts and 5 relief appearances. In those innings, he has 65 strikeouts compared to 18 walks.
Carmona is the 14th ranked prospect on that same Brewers prospects list. In 39 games at the Rookie level this season, he has 8 doubles, 3 triples, and 4 home runs. He holds a .239 batting average, a .298 on-base percentage, and a .406 slugging percentage. He has primarily played shortstop on the season, but he also has games played at second base and third base.
Villar is 27 years old and has played in 87 games for the Brewers this season. After stealing 62 bases to go with 19 home runs and a .369 on-base percentage in 2016, it looked as if Villar would be a versatile infield star in Milwaukee. However, his numbers dipped in 2017 and they have stayed close to the same in 2018. Villar is controllable through the 2021 season, so the Orioles will be hoping for the 2016 version of Villar to return in Baltimore.
Next. Royals get excellent return for Moustakas. dark
The Milwaukee Brewers are currently only 1.0 game behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central Division, so it will be interesting to see if this makeshift infield will be effective for a team that has their sights set on the postseason.