Brewers acquire Jonathan Schoop from Orioles for Jonathan Villar, two prospects

The Brewers have acquired second baseman Jonathan Schoop from the Orioles for infielder Jonathan Villar, right-handed pitching prospect Luis Ortiz, and and shortstop prospect Jean Carmona, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the non-waiver trade deadline had passed:

Schoop, 26, posted a stellar .841 OPS with 32 homers and finished in 12th in AL MVP voting last year, but he has struggled for most of 2018, posting a .244/.273/.447 line with just 17 home runs in 367 plate appearances. He’s making $8.5 million this season and will be under Brewers control next year before hitting free agency following the 2019 season.

He’s the fifth major piece the Orioles have dealt since the All-Star Game, joining starting pitcher Kevin Gausman and fellow former All-Stars Manny Machado, Zach Britton, and Brad Brach.

It’s a mystery as to how Schoop will fit into the Brewers’ lineup. They just relocated third baseman Travis Shaw to second base so that they could fit recent trade acquisition Mike Moustakas into the lineup, but now that bold move could be undone with Schoop joining the fray. He’s played in seven major-league games at shortstop over a six-season career and could be an option to see some time at that position for Milwaukee, particularly since starter Orlando Arcia has struggled miserably at the plate this season.

Villar, who stole a majors-best 62 bases in 2016 while posting an .826 OPS, has never been able to rediscover the form he displayed in that season. He had a solid .261/.315/.377 line with six homers and 14 steals this year but was on the DL and wasn’t going to see much time going forward following the acquisition of Moustakas. He’s under club control through the end of the 2020 season and should get a chance to re-establish himself in Baltimore.

Ortiz, a 22-year-old former first-rounder in Double-A, was ranked as the Brewers’ No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline and seems to be the key piece to the return. In 16 appearances (11 starts) this season, he has a 3.71 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

Carmona, who was ranked as the Brewers’ No. 14 prospect by Pipeline, is an 18-year-old switch-hitter in Advanced Rookie ball. He’s more highly regarded for his defensive skills and power potential than his contact skills at the plate, and that projection is reflected in his stats this year, as he’s posted a .239/.298/.406 slash line with four homers in 172 plate appearances.