Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Brewers acquired infielder Jonathan Schoop from the Orioles ahead of the 4 PM ET non-waiver trade deadline. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that the Orioles will receive infielder Jonathan Villar and minor leaguers Luis Ortiz and Jean Carmona.
Schoop, 26, is owed the remainder of his $8.5 million salary for this season and is arbitration eligible for one more year. He hit .244/.273/.447 with 17 home runs and 40 RBI in 367 plate appearances for the Orioles this season.
The second-place Brewers are only a game behind the Cubs in the NL Central and are clearly trying to stay on even footing with their division rival. The Brewers already added Mike Moustakas and Joakim Soria.
Second base has been an issue for the Brewers this season. In fact, Travis Shaw has drawn two starts at second base in the club’s last three games. The Brewers could also try Schoop at shortstop to displace Orlando Arcia, who has a pitiful .488 OPS in 233 plate appearances this season.
The Orioles, meanwhile, capped off their fire sale with the Schoop trade. They previously traded Manny Machado, Kevin Gausman, Darren O’Day, Zach Britton, and Brad Brach.
Ortiz, 22, is ranked No. 7 in the Brewers’ system by MLB Pipeline. In 68 innings with Double-A Biloxi this year, Ortiz posted a 3.71 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 18 walks.
Carmona, 18, is ranked No. 14 in the Brewers’ system. With Helena in the rookie league, the infielder hit .239/.298/.406 in 172 plate appearances.
