The Milwaukee Brewers traded for former Baltimore Orioles All-Star second baseman Jonathan Schoop this past season to help fortify the middle of their infield for a playoff run.
While Milwaukee did ultimately earn the NL Central title with a one-game playoff win over the Chicago Cubs, Schoop himself didn’t perform all that well. He hit just .202 with four homers and 21 RBI after the trade.
It now looks like Milwaukee is attempting to rid itself of Schoop altogether. According to this report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Milwaukee is strongly considering non-tendering Schoop. If so, he’ll hit the free agent market.
Very interesting 27-year-old second baseman could hit open market tomorrow. Sources indicating strong possibility #Brewers will non-tender 2017 All-Star Jonathan Schoop. Team evaluating all options, including trade. Schoop projected for $10.1M in arbitration, per @mlbtraderumors.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2018
Schoop, 27, earned an All-Star appearance with the Orioles back in 2017. That season saw him hit .293 with 32 homers, 105 RBI and an .841 OPS.
Should Schoop hit free agency, he’ll certainly receive a ton of interest on the open market. In turn, the Brewers would save the $10-plus million he’s set to earn in arbitration.