DETROIT, MI – AUGUST 30: Jonathan Schoop #42 of the Detroit Tigers hits a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning at Comerica Park on August 30, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Twins 3-2. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
With a winning streak putting them into playoff contention, the Detroit Tigers won’t sell high on Jonathan Schoop (and presumably anyone else).
The Detroit Tigers seemed likely to be a trade deadline seller heading into the weekend against the Minnesota Twins, with an opportunity to sell high on some guys. But according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Tigers are not engaging in trade talks on second baseman Jonathan Schoop.
Schoop hit his eighth home run of the season on Sunday, as the Tigers completed a sweep of the Twins and extended their win streak to five. As Morosi noted, they are now 16-16 and just two games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final playoff spot in the American League.
Schoop is hitting .303/.341/.529 so far this season, with the aforementioned eight home runs, 19 RBI and 19 runs scored. Over his last 10 games, he is hitting .378 with a 1.088 OPS, four home runs and nine RBI. Going back to his last 17 games, he has a slash line of .365/.420/.635 with five home runs and 11 RBI. As streaky as he was with the Twins in 2019, and with a .259 career batting average, the Tigers had (and arguably still have) a case to sell high on Schoop. He is on a one-year deal, which would make him a cashable trade asset if the Tigers were willing to engage.
Should Tigers still take calls on Jonathan Schoop?
Even with the current winning streak they’ve got going, ESPN still has the Tigers’ playoff odds at just 20.6 percent. Baseball-Reference has their playoff odds at 6.2 percent. They are in fourth place but a reasonable four games back in the AL Central, so they may look to add something before Monday afternoon’s deadline. But in any case, it appears they will not sell and at least stand pat. Time will tell if that was the right idea, with a narrative-setting seven-game road trip starting Tuesday night.