The Orioles today announced that they have acquired INF Jonathan Villar, RHP Luis Ortiz, and INF Jean Carmona from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for INF Jonathan Schoop. Villar, who recently completed a rehab assignment, will join the Major League club. Ortiz has been assigned to Double-A Bowie, while Carmona has been assigned to Short-Season A Aberdeen.
Villar, 27, batted .261/.315/.377 (67-for-257) with 10 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 26 runs, and 22 RBI in 87 games for the Brewers this season. Across parts of six seasons in the Major Leagues, he has batted .256/.324/.394 (471-for-1838) with 95 doubles, 10 triples, 46 home runs, 242 runs, 171 RBI, and 141 stolen bases in 563 career games between Milwaukee and Houston. In 2016, he led the Brewers in hits (168), doubles (38), walks (79), and on-base percentage (.369), while leading the National League in stolen bases (62). He was acquired by the Brewers in November of 2015 from the Houston Astros in exchange for RHP Cy Sneed. Villar was originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a non-drafted free agent on May 20, 2008.
Ortiz, 22, made 11 starts (16 appearances) for Double-A Biloxi this season, going 3-4 with a 3.71 ERA (28 ER/68.0 IP) and 65 strikeouts. In 70 career minor league starts (82 games), he has gone 18-21 with a 3.20 ERA (115 ER/323.1 IP) and 287 strikeouts. He was selected to the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, tossing 0.1 of an inning and retiring the only batter he faced. He was invited to his first Spring Training in 2018 as a non-roster invitee. He was named a South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star in 2015, his first full season in professional baseball. He is currently ranked as the Brewers seventh-best prospect, according to MLB.com. Ortiz was acquired by the Brewers on August 1, 2016 in a five-player trade that sent C Jonathan Lucroy and RHP Jeremy Jeffress to the Texas Rangers. He was originally selected by Texas in the first round (No. 30 overall) of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.
Carmona, 18, batted .239/.298/.406 (37-for-155) with eight doubles, three triples, four home runs, 28 runs, and 24 RBI in 39 games for Rookie-level Helena. In 99 career minor league games, he has batted .254/.339/.406 (92-for-362) with 18 doubles, 11 triples, five home runs, 70 runs, and 48 RBI. He was named a 2017 Dominican Summer League All-Star and led the DSL Brewers in triples (7) and runs scored (37) last season. Carmona currently ranks as the 14th-best prospect in the Brewers organization, according to MLB.com. He was originally signed by Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2016.
Schoop, 26, batted .244/.273/.447 (85-for-349) with 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 45 runs, and 40 RBI over 85 games with the Orioles this season. Over 635 career games with the Orioles, Schoop hit .261/.296/.450 with 126 doubles, two triples, 106 home runs, 306 runs, and 312 RBI. His 106 home runs are the most by a second baseman (primary position) in Orioles history (since 1954). Became the fourth second baseman in Major League history to have career totals of at least 600 hits, 300 runs, and 100 home runs before turning 27. He was named a first-time All-Star in 2017. Schoop was originally signed by the Orioles as a non-drafted free agent on August 20, 2008.