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The Milwaukee Brewers could use a lot of help. They have offensive problems and injuries to resolve in the rotation. The bullpen has been great, but honestly, it never hurts to add more greatness to the mix. According to Baltimore Orioles beat writer Roch Kubatko and national writer Jon Heyman, they could be looking to solve those issues all in one place.
The tweets say the Brewers have asked Baltimore about second baseman Jonathan Schoop, pitcher Kevin Gausman, and reliever Zach Britton.
Have heard #brewers asked about Schoop and Gausman. #yankees have checked on Gausman. #braves have expressed interest in Schoop, Gausman and Bundy #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) July 22, 2018
Field of interested teams for Britton is expanding. Braves are interested (they have the prospects, but will they give them up?) Rockies have checked in. Even Brewers, who have stacked pen. Hou, Cubs, LAD, NYY all seem serious. Others, too.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 22, 2018
Schoop and Gausman are two very interesting potential additions. Schoop is just 26 and has another full year of control left before becoming a free agent. Last season, he was an MVP candidate, but he’s struggled to compete at that level this season, slashing just .229/.262/.364. His .255 BABIP is well below his career norms, however. At his best, Schoop is a 25-homer middle infield bat and an average defender at second.
Gausman is controlled for two more years, but has yet to break out to the expectations he had coming up. In 112 innings this season, he’s worked around a 4.33 ERA but has a 3.98 DRA. Add that to improved control and Derek Johnson has something to work with that could lead up to great things.
Finally there’s Zach Britton, who hasn’t been quite his All-Star self. In only 15.2 innings, he’s had a 3.45 ERA with 5.7 BB/9. It’s a small sample size in a season where he’s dealing with a lot of injuries, but those numbers are still somewhat worrisome.
All could be a great addition, but it’s hard to tell what the Orioles will be looking to get back for any or if the Brewers want to get multiple players back in a single package. Given the control on Schoop and Gausman, they could ask for quite a bit.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball Prospectus