Milwaukee Brewers: What happened to the players dealt for Jonathan Schoop?

The Milwaukee Brewers sent three players to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for second baseman Jonathan Schoop. How bad does the deal look three months later?

Based on performance alone, the Milwaukee Brewers deadline deal for Jonathan Schoop is already a dud.

Schoop appeared in 46 regular season games for the Brewers in the final months of the 2018 season. He managed a .202/.246/.331 slash line with four homers and one steal.

In the playoffs, Schoop essentially disappeared. He literally went 0-for-the playoffs. Schoop had two at-bats in the NLDS, both were outs. He also had six at-bats in the NLCS, all six were outs. 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. No hits or walks. He didn’t even luck his way into an RBI.

The Milwaukee Brewers also have to choose if they’re going keep Schoop for another year with a salary over $10 million. But what about the guys traded for Schoop? Could this deal haunt the Brewers for years to come?

How did Luis Ortiz do with Baltimore?

Luis Ortiz made six starts with the Baltimore Orioles Triple-A affiliate before getting called up in September. In Triple-A, Ortiz threw six games, and posted a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings. He struck out 21, walked eight, and gave up four homers. This was enough to get a chance to pitch for the Orioles, and it didn’t go well.

Ortiz made one start and one relief appearance with the Orioles in 2018. He lasted 2 1/3 innings, and posted a 15.43 ERA with seven hits and three walks allowed. He didn’t strike out anyone.

How about Jonathan Villar?

Infielder Jonathan Villar made 54 appearances for the Baltimore Orioles in the closing months of the 2018 season. He posted a .258/.336/.392 slash line with eight(!) homers, and 21(!) steals in 236 plate appearances. Villar, by himself, was a lot more productive than Schoop was.

Villar is also under team control for the next two years, and probably won’t cost $10 million.

And Jean Carmona?

The Milwaukee Brewers also gave up Minor League infielder Jean Carmona in the deal for Schoop. The Baltimore Orioles assigned Carmona to Low-A, and he appeared in 24 games before the season ended. Carmona managed a .226/.280/.301 slash line in 100 at-bats. It’s also important to mention that this was Carmona’s first time above Rookie-Ball, and he only just turned 19 years old. He’s still several years away from becoming Major League-ready.

The Schoop half of the deal is rough by itself, but a productive Villar, Ortiz, or Carmona could really haunt the Milwaukee Brewers. It’s rare that another team gets the better of Brewers GM David Stearns, but that’s certainly what this deal looks like right now. If Schoop sticks around for another year in Milwaukee, bashes 30 homers, and ends up as the missing piece on a championship roster, this deal will look different. However, the early returns look really poor on the surface.