District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals Mock Signings: Rounding out the final roster

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 3: Fans walk through the Center Field Gate before the opening day game between the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 3: Fans walk through the Center Field Gate before the opening day game between the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals Jonathan Schoop
MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 09: Jonathan Schoop #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers gestures after completing a double play to end the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park on September 9, 2018, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

Jonathan Schoop, 2B

Yes, this one isn’t strictly a free agent signing like the rest, but thought it was worth including in this piece as a last minute final touch. After missing out on Freddy Galvis in free agency, we quickly moved to trade for Jonathan Schoop from the Milwaukee Brewers.

We actually had preliminary discussions to bring Schoop in earlier on the simulation before we went with Ian Happ. However, in need of a backup infielder, we came back and decided to part with Nick Raquet in order to get it done, with the Brewers eating some of his salary in 2019.

With Schoop’s MLBTradeRumors projected arbitration for 2019 at $10.1 million next year, we felt the salary relief was vital to the deal. Thankfully, the Brewers were determined to ship him out as their infield is crowded and were happy to take on $3 million of his salary.

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While Jonathan Schoop didn’t have a particularly appealing slash line last season at .233/.266/.416, a .261 BABIP suggests that better luck is ahead. With over 20 home runs in each of the last three seasons, he can add some thump to the bench and as a rotation player that Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo didn’t have. Definitely a solid addition to the bench.

One of the more underrated aspects of getting Schoop is that while he’s primarily a second baseman who can spell Happ a lot, he can also play shortstop. In 74.1 innings at the position in 2018, he actually recorded one Defensive Run Saved and a 17.0 UZR/150. Nothing outstanding, but he’s solid there if Trea Turner was ever injured.

The only real downsides to this trade are that we could potentially be paying Schoop to be a $7 million backup, which is a very steep price, even if it is for only one season. The other downside is that we are giving up a nice prospect in Nick Raquet who had a 3.74 ERA across two minor leagues levels last season. However, he’s still only in High-A and at least two seasons from the big leagues, so it’s not a huge loss.

Keep an eye out for the full recap of the FanSided GM Simulation as we look at the trade opportunities that we missed, and the final roster calculation, including salaries and how far under the luxury tax we came.

Next. Mock Trade: Roark and Taylor dealt away. dark

We hope to have a full recap of the simulation in the next couple of days in which we review how we did in crafting the Washington Nationals. We’ll also spill the beans on some additional transactions that could’ve been, and share our final figures.

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