When the Baltimore Orioles began their sell off in July, second baseman Jonathan Schoop was one of the casualties. Then GM Dan Duquette traded him to Milwaukee for a fairly decent return. However Schoop struggled in Milwaukee; he never really found his sea legs.
Schoop was ultimately non-tenderer yesterday. In short, that means he was cut and has become a free agent. There are a couple of different angles on this. First off, the Orioles won the trade. I mean – they flat out embarrassed Milwaukee. Anytime you give up a group of players for one guy who is ultimately cut, you got out-jazzed big time.
However don’t forget that Schoop was sorrowful to leave Baltimore. He loved being an Oriole. So…could a reunion be in the cards?
That’s a really tough question to answer. Schoop was never the same player once he left the O’s. There’s no reason to think that he could reclaim his previous status. Although…it’s a new day in Baltimore with new players and ultimately new coaches. Perhaps they could make Schoop into a reclamation project…?
It’s an interesting idea for sure. But as I said, it’s a new day in Baltimore. If Schoop returned, certainly the park, fans, and a few teammates would be the same, but it’s mostly a different organization now. In short, you can never go home again.
If the Orioles decided that there was a potential fit and brought Schoop back, he could easily be a trade chip once again. In fact, that might be their best bet; sign him and let him play for half a season, dealing him at the deadline. As I said, they got a haul for him last year – no reason it couldn’t happen again.
Speaking of non-tenders, Tim Beckham and Caleb Joseph were non-tenderer by the O’s last night as well. Joseph specifically was a fan favorite for some time. It’s an unfortunate part of the business sometimes.
Birdland Crush 