TODAY: The Tigers officially announced that Schoop has been DFA’ed.
JULY 7: The Tigers are designating veteran infielder Jonathan Schoop for assignment, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press. The club has yet to announce the move.
Once official, it’ll close the book on a nearly four-season tenure in the Motor City. The Tigers first signed the former All-Star second baseman to a $6.1MM pact heading into 2020. Schoop put up a quality .278/.324/.475 line over 44 games during the abbreviated season. Detroit brought him back on a $4.5MM guarantee the next winter, and the right-handed hitter put together another strong season.
Schoop played in 156 games and hit .278/.320/.435 with 22 home runs. As an impending free agent on a rebuilding Detroit club, he looked a logical deadline trade candidate. Instead, Detroit held him past the deadline and extended him on a two-year, $15MM deal in August. That contract contained matching $7.5MM salaries for 2022-23 and allowed Schoop to opt out after the first season.
The third contract did not pan out. Schoop’s offense has cratered. He hit .202/.239/.322 across 510 trips to the plate last year. He made the obvious call to return to Detroit rather than testing the open market. Hopes of a rebound campaign have been dashed by a nightmarish first half. Schoop hasn’t connected on a single home run and carries a .213/.278/.272 batting line over 55 contests.
Between the two seasons, he’s a .204/.248/.311 hitter. Among the 203 hitters with 600+ plate appearances since the start of last season, Schoop ranks last in on-base percentage and third from the bottom (above Nicky Lopez and Myles Straw) in slugging. Detroit has pushed him from everyday second base work into more of a platoon capacity, giving most of the recent second/third base reps to Andy Ibañez and Zach McKinstry.
Schoop is due a little less than $3.5MM from now through season’s end. No team is going to take on that money given his offensive struggles. He’s likely to be released within the next few days. Once he clears waivers, the Tigers would remain on the hook for the bulk of that sum. Any team that adds Schoop would owe him just the prorated portion of the $720K minimum for whatever time he spends on their MLB roster.
While he might be limited to minor league offers at that point, he should be of interest to clubs seeking infield depth. Schoop is still just 31 and was a career .262/.301/.448 hitter through the end of 2021. He can cover either second or third base and remains an excellent defensive option at the keystone, in particular.
Statcast credited Schoop as a staggering 21 runs above average with the glove last season. Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t quite so bullish but still rated him among the league’s best at +8 runs. He’s not likely to repeat quite so exceptional a defensive season, but both DRS and Statcast have pegged him a few runs above par in 160 2/3 second base innings this year as well.
Surprising, he’s been bad, but who will replace him?
Reilly Greene returning on Saturday.
Greene is already on the 40-man… It’s Colt Keith time!
No, Greene wasn’t on the 40-man. He was on the 60 day IL, which removes a player from the roster. Sorry to rain on your Keith parade, he’s not being promoted just yet.
It Beau time!
I know math is hard, but how the hell was Greene on the 60 day, if his last game was may 30th and he is being activated tomorrow…?
I stand corrected. It’s still not Colt Keith being promoted. More likely it’s Brieske or Wingenter. They both are on rehab assignment in Toledo.
I stand corrected. It’s still not Colt Keith being promoted. More likely it’s Brieske or Wingenter. They both are on rehab assignment in Toledo and on the 60 day.
Or maybe some trade or waiver claim is in the works.
I’ll agree that it is weird that the tigers are waiting to announce the move officially.
A cardboard cutout wouldn’t do much worse at the plate.
Yeah, if they placed the cutout REALLY close to the plate, he could at least draw a couple of HBP’s ……
Cardboard cut out! Lol pitcher could lop 80 right over the plate
Sounds to me like the Tigers organization is trying to stir up a little “Schoopgate” by making him the scapegoat.
What a dumb thing to say!
Everyone on here saying this was a dumb signing, please just stop. Al Avila made enough awful signings and trades to go around, so don’t attach this one to that bunch. Schoop performed very well for 2 1/2 of the 4 years he was here, offensively and defensively. But without question, it was beyond time for him to get DFA’d.
I was all in on a multiyear contract for Schoop. He got paid and performed on the rest of the teams’ expectations and not his own. Just as Prince Fielder couldn’t perform on a Miggy’s level of pace, I remember when Kirk Gibson came back to Detroit. He was beating out that young talent. Same was for Schoop and we saw him pace himself into what he is today. It seemed like he played on their level and lost whatever he had. Hate to see playas go down like that. Especially for Detroit. I am only a Johnathan Schoop fan when he helps the Detroit Tigers win. Otherwise, Good Luck to him.
You mean the Schoopgoat. Now is his agent’s opportunity to market his client much the way Wham-o plugged the hula hoop back in the early 70s: The NEW Improved Jonathan Schoop with NEW shoop-shoop sound!!!!
Schoop there it is!
I don’t get it
That extension was another misfire from Avila
Yowza
$15 million for .210 and 11 home runs over 2 seasons
I don’t blame Avila for that one. Schoop was hitting with power and seemed like a veteran presence. They signed him to an extension and then last year he just stopped hitting. He’s still only 31 so it isn’t like he’s too old. He just suddenly started to suck.
Dan Uggla had a similar drop-off in performance at age 32 in 2012.
Brian Dozier as well.
That’s okay though. His son will become a part of a front office through the power of nepotism, and will carry on his father’s legacy of sh!ting the bed.
He should have been playing every day in the hope of providing trade value. That he hasn’t produced in the limited ABs he’s been given doesn’t mean a whole lot, and I won’t be surprised if he does well with his next team.
He was playing regularly in the early part of the year and wasn’t producing.. He had almost 80 plate appearances before getting his first RBI. Think about that. I suspect he will like have a brief resurgence with his next team, but I doubt it will last. He just looks like he doesn’t care.
Schoop doesn’t look like he doesn’t care. He looks like he is lost. He looks completely defeated out there. But then, I expect him to get picked up by a contender and the infectious nature of winning and being ahead in most games will probably ignite something in him. I expect to see him in the post season as a bench piece. He will get another contract. He’s not done.
What r u talking about??
Schoop played regularly last year. They tried to trade him last year, but nobody was interested. This year, he was worse.
Colt Keith was held out of the lineup tonight for Toledo. Just saying
no, Greene set to rejoin team tomorrow
That might be so, but designating Schoop opens up a 40-man spot. Colt is coming
All of the futures game prospects were out of lineups today
Det News said Veirling was taking reps at second and third, guess that makes sense since Greene is returning.
yeah with carpenter, vierling, green, baddoo and marisnick, someone’s hot to move
I’d rather see Vierling remain in the outfield because he’s a much better outfielder than Baddoo and Carpenter, and a better hitter than Marisnick and Baddoo. But sheer math says somebody has to get reduced playing time. Marisnick will probably end up getting waived. His time here has been somewhat productive and he might get a shot elsewhere.
Now that three OFs have returned from the IL, in Carpenter, Baddoo, and Greene, both McKinstry, and Ibanez can go back to 2B and 3B along with Short. So why play Vierling out of position? (Because Schoop was the only one who could play a passable 3B, and Harris CUT Candelario?!)
Schoop played the worst 3b I have ever seen…definitely wasnt passable.
He was better than Ibanez, McKinstry or Nevin. I know that’s not saying much. The team must have felt that way, or they wouldn’t have put one of the best defensive 2b out of position, when Ibanez came up as a 3B.
Schoop was better than Maton at 3rd. Ibanez is much better at 2nd than 3rd. For an emergency fill in, Vierling is probably their best bet. I don’t actually expect to see Matt V. starting in the infield. McKinstry is their best 3rd baseman right now. That plucky, little Zack Short is also growing on me.
It’s already out there that Greene is to DH tomorrow. The DFA of Schoop opens up that spot on the 26 and 40 man roster.
Greene was only on the 10 day IL, his last game was 39 days ago…
Schoop just kept getting fatter and fatter. Career BA a dozen below his weight
What year are we in? Why do new fans keep using some dinosaur baseball stat that zero baseball executives have used in more than a decade at least? If batting average was important it’s not believe me, you wouldn’t see half the guys getting starts
It doesn’t have zero importance. BA contributes to OBP and OPS. Why do we talk about BABIP?
Why do you get this way everytime someone mentions batting average?
You could argue that front office execs actually undervalue batting average. There’s a ton of low-average guys around the league who keep getting chances because they pop a homer once a week, keeping their OPS reasonable. I’d rather have a whole lineup of Luis Arraez types than Joey Gallo clones
Agreed. Dan Vogelbach gets on base even though his average is terrible. But, what does that get the team? A gravyboat clogging the bases. Teams want him to put the ball in play, not lumber over to first base taking away potential extra base hit or runs by just existing out there.
Zack Short, or Schoop ?. Glad the decided to keep Short, he’s ready to be here. So glad they did it, because that move coming had me worried.
Short should be starting over Baez. Contract bias is the only reason he still gets put in the lineup, and isn’t the one being cut. Now if some one from Analytics will explain to Hinch that batting Baez north of 7th in the lineup provides no value, I would be much happier.
Well Oakland handing Detroit their hats didn’t help anyone on the Tigers. That had to be a real eyeopener from the Owner on down. Getting shut out for 17 straight innings at home, hammers home the fact they are farther away than we thought. It’ll be easier next year when Miggy is retired, as that is one more position player.
That Oakland series may have been heaven sent as it caused them to rethink how the season is going. I know I’ve seen Maton and Nevin enough for forever. Days off don’t work well for Detroit. High spirits from the fans looking to the 4th and fireworks the stadium was packed, then the game began. You beat Colorado that bad, then fall flat on the face. Changes are good in this major league tryout season.
One more position player? Whoopie… more playing time for Nick Maton? They need to go out and find some decent hitters. They have been the worst offense for years now and they still did nothing to fix it. They picked up 2 bench players and some injury prone pitchers.
Clown organization.
Go check out your own team if you don’t like ours! Building a team doesn’t happen in a day. Vierling, McKinistry and Lorenzen look good this year. Sticking with Tork worked out as did letting Rogers and Baddoo play. There are some reinforcements coming soon from the minors that look like keepers (Colt Keith and Justyn Henry Malloy) and others who should get a shot sooner rather began later (Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez and Andre Lipcius). This year was for seeing what we have and next year is time to fill the remaining holes by promotions, trade or FA signings. Smart organizations assess and build a team not run out and waste money on shiny toys they don’t need. The Tigers are hopefully done with that. Next yearour I Jared SP’s are all back, Miggy is gone opening up DH and Schoop and other non-contributors will be gone as well. Tigers are on the rise.
Any team can beat any other team on any given day.
Playoff bound teams have lost to the A’s also.
A’s have some young rising talent.
They will not be losing 162 games though they are far from being a playoffs team.
The guy leading your team in hits and RBI’s usually hits higher than 7th. Don’t need any advanced analytics to tell you that
Brewers already tried that once with him, didn’t work out so well
I can’t believe how quickly he fell off a cliff offensively.
Tbh, when they signed him to the 2-year deal, I thought it was a solid move.
Every tigers fan praised that deal as a sign the tigers were finally trying to win. He got paid and disappeared, difficult to predict.
Schoop is an interesting buy low option for anyone willing to pay league minimum to see if there is anything left in the tank
watch, the dodgers will get him once he gets released. dodgers need a RHH…. to dispel miggy vargas… wathc ..it’ll happen.
watch*
I believe it.
Schoop is still solid defensively at 2B and decent at 3B. His hitting is what has cratered. He’s only 31, so he could still bounce back. I can see him joining a contender for defensive purposes. Back to Orioles? Dodgers? Brewers? I bet he ends up in a better place.
He is nothing without Machado alongside. Either Manny, or running towards a pay day, are the only things that motivate Schoopy.
so what your saying is more money motivates a player / someone? I dont believe you.
A Machado reunion? Hmm. Interesting. The two were tight back in the day. A lot of light hearted fun between them just before and during games.
My favorite memory. Os pitcher was struggling. Big meeting around the mound including entire infield. Machado motions to Schoop to check something out along the first base line (probably a “hot babe in stands” alert). When Schoop turns his head, Manny plants a firm glove tap right on Johnathan’s man sack. So subtle. Barely noticeable in the heat of the moment. Mwaaah!
This guy has been pretty bad his career.
I havent seen Schoop play in a while is his glove still good? If he can even up his average a little bit could be a decent utility guy for a team off the bench escpecially prorated minimum. I believe he played 3rd, 2nd, and 1st and SS in a pinch. Wouldnt want him at SS more than a day or two though.
What kind of app wrote this post? “The third contract did not pan out. Schoop’s offense has cratered. He hit .202/.239/.322 across 510 trips to the plate last year. He made the obvious call to return to Detroit rather than testing the open market. Hopes of a rebound campaign have been dashed by a nightmarish first half.” Reading this post is like chewing on rocks.
MLBTR won’t be mistaken for Shakespeare, but you’re being a little harsh there!
I haven’t checked, but I think Schoop more or less stopped hitting the WEEK he signed the extension. I know he got off to a slow start in 2021, had a huge June, and they signed him – I believe – in mid-July. He hit very few home runs the rest of the year, lost his way in 2022, and burned the roadmap in 2023.
He’s always had a problem with strike zone judgment, which I would consider an automatic disqualifier as a GM, but I can’t really blame Avila for that misfire. He provided value on the first 1-year deal, had started raking during his second 1-year deal, and based on his age seemed a reasonable guy to lock up for 2 years. (Good fielder, at least a little above replacement at the plate, and looking like he’d sign a longer-term deal for more money someplace if they didn’t extend him.)
If that is an automatic disqualifier you’d make for a terrible GM.
Brewers gotta go after him and take a chance
Another WBC participant having a bad year
Just like that Ohtani guy
Well, there’s that.
I liked the guy…but you gotta hit the ball.
Hey this new XO sure is a fast mover
…you never know what he’s going to do next……
To be honest, this move should have happened long ago. My guess is he goes on to have a couple-few good seasons elsewhere. Seems like that is usually how this goes….
Man, I like Jonathan. I hope he gets his bat back wherever he winds up.
Typical Tigers!
The Tigers should have traded Scoop at the deadline a few years ago at “peak value”.
Instead, the held onto him until he “went into the tank” and now get nothing for him.
Rinse, repeat for Candelaria and others.
The Nats will be getting a pretty good return on Candelario since the Tigers let him go for nothing after his down year last year.
The Tigers could have traded Candelario at the trade deadline a few years ago and received a nice return for him when he was hitting.
Candelario and Schoop were never long term pieces for the Tigers next contending team.
The Tigers timing for maximizing value of trade candidates has been awful.
The injury bug has also cost them some lucrative trade deadline deals,
Why was Candelario not a long term piece? He was acquired young, and just out of the minors from the Cubs. He was two time Tiger of the Year. Had one bad season, when the entire team forgot how to hit. Harris was told to cut payroll and for the incredibly small amount of $1MM in negotiations, chose to cut him instead. No team has had worse production from 3B. To top it off, both Keith and Malloy have had difficulty handling 3B and been moved to other positions. He should have been a long term piece.
Candy would have been awarded $7 mill. in arbitration since rules say players can’t be forced to take a pay cut. He simply wasn’t worth the money after his abysmal showing last year. But he looks more like the Candy of old this year. Bummer.
Canderario was not a “long term foundational piece of the Tigers puzzle
since he would be in his 30’s before the Tigers are serious contenders. He is 29.
Isaac Paredes,. 24 and starting 3B for the Rays, was the Tigers long term piece @ 3B. He was foolishly traded for Austin Meadows. I was against that deal since when it happened.
Candelario was coming off a solid season in ’21 when Paredes was traded in
April ’22. Candelario should have been traded and Paredes given the 3rd base job. Age, production, when the window of contention would likely open, salaries were all factors that should have pointed to a Candelario trade instead of Paredes. Paredes had won a batting title in Winter ball.
The Rays really hosed Avila and the Tigers on that deal.
nypost.com/2022/07/04/rays-cant-believe-tigers-tra…
Well, the Cardinals could use a second baseman…maybe after last night’s game
Although, Nolan Gorman has a lot of power, but he might be a butcher in the field
Trade Gorman to the Tigers!
That would be a fair trade .
I wonder what Cardinal fans would think
I’ve floated that idea in Spring training but now that he’s a borderline all star they are not so happy with it and who could blame them. We need a 2B ir 3B and they need starting pitching and we have that. Work a deal centered around Casey Mize or even Matt Manning and Wilmer Flores. Skubals off limits.
Bad idea.
Tigers have some young players on the farm that are on the way to the big leagues. And they are drafting “top 5” again.
If Avila had drafted one of the 2 young star shortstops on the board instead of another high school pitcher, then one of the problems would have already been solved (Lawler of Mayer).
Also, only thing that has kept the Tigers even near the fringes of contention has been their starting pitching depth. Erase that and they sink down to the category of the Oakland A’s.
There’s more pitching in the pipeline for next year: Madden and Flores at least. I’m good with them trading from a strength to address the huge gap on offence. Gorman plays at 3B and as the cleanup hitter. I don’t think Mize will be more than a good #3. Madden on the other hand I think will slot in behind Skubal soon.
Schoop did well when we first got him. I don’t count him among Avila’s misfires. He tanked last year like the whole team did on offence. This year, I would have been good with cutting him sooner but I get the logic of keeping him around to see if he could sort things out….I was calling for Ibanez to get cut when he was stinking it up early on and he has turned it around, although his stats on the year are still not good.
Throw Colt Keith in and let’s see what he’s got to offer. The Angels gave Zach Neto a go this year and it worked out fine. We need someone long-term to play 3B every day too and Jace Jung/Colt Keith filling 2B/3B is still a ways off. McKinistry, Short and Ibanez are Utility players and next year I think Maton and one of them will fill those spots (I think someone will get traded at the deadline). Let’s get a taste of the future and something to look forward to and cheer for with some fresh blood in Colt Keith. Maybe he’ll be a team sparkplug like Baddoo was during his Rule V year.
One of the Tigers problems has been failure to capitalize (trade)_on talent that was performing @ peak value” and not really in their future plans,
Candelario was an example along with others.
Isaac Paredes trade was the exact opposite of what the Tigers should be doing and they will be paying dearly for that deal for the next 10-15 years.
Never thought the Tigers would pull the plug on Schoop. But I love how people around here are saying we should have traded him at peak value. He had no peak value. Even at his best with the Tigers there was little trade value in him. The extension everybody cried for because he did play well. People were ecstatic when Avila actually extended him. How soon you all forget.
Surprised it wasn’t Marisnick. After all he was added to the roster when Greene went down. But apparently Greene will be limited to DH for now. Glad to have him back, but he won’t be fully back until we can play the outfield.
Blue Jays should sign him instantly to replace Matt Chapman for next year!!!!!
I agree with stymedone that they should have resigned Cadelario. While I like what Harris has done for the most part (hopefully more to come next year) that was a big time whiff. Paredes and Candelario should both still be playing in Detroit at 2B and 3B. Avila actually fleeced the Cubs on that one. Hindsight is 20-20 but never really liked either of those deals.
A couple days ago, I was wondering who the Tigers would remove from the 26 man roster when Greene got healthy again. Schoop was the obvious choice, it had to be him.
Come to Boston, we need the glove badly. There’s also a huge glut of middle infielders that needs cleared out. Send Arroyo and Hernandez packing!
@MafiaBass… I don’t know . While the defense would be improved at short and 2nd, that would be zero hits from both middle infielders. oh, wait….
Never mind!!!
Welcome to Boston Panda, Jr!
Aaron Hicks V.O 2 … the ole “ got out of the zoo” change of scenery trick. Works every time
Schoop was just about as close to an automatic out as you can get. Great guy in the clubhouse, but it’s time to move on.
Escape from Detroit. Kurt Russell in a bad eye patch