NEW YORK — Jonathan Schoop, stylish in a black polo, gray jeans and black Gucci sneakers, strolled into the Orioles’ clubhouse just after the 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline on July 31 and looked around. Before him MLB Network speculated about which team was about to acquire him; behind him the lineup listed him hitting second and playing second for Baltimore. He grinned. “Should I take my clothes off, or what?” he asked. No one answered. He decided he might as well put on his Orioles uniform, likely for the last time. He slid out of his polo and into a black undershirt—and then his phone rang. Schoop never did put on that uniform. His last time wearing the O will remain as Sunday’s home win over the Rays. Traded to the Brewers, Schoop joins Zach Britton (lost to the Yankees), Brad Brach, Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day (all to the Braves), and his best friend, Manny Machado (Dodgers) in leaving Baltimore in the last few weeks. Who Were the Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2018 MLB Trade Deadline? It feels a bit like the Rapture has come to the Orioles clubhouse. Players walked in this week not entirely sure who would still be there. The dust has settled. Anyone who could help a contending team—and fetch the right price—is gone. In their place is nearly an entire roster—15 players—of prospects and $2.75 million in international bonus pool money. After a deadline-day loss to the Yankees, Baltimore sits at 32–75, easily the worst record in baseball. The rebuild has begun. The assets have been reallocated. But what of the people? “A lot of people don’t really think of the human element,” said leftfielder Trey Mancini, choking back tears. “Everyone just sees names on the [TV scroll], but we spend more time with each other than with our own families.” The ones left behind mourn their friends and face the fact that their front office has all but given up, that really it would be better for the future of the franchise if they lost the rest of their games. And the ones taken away try to help a bunch of strangers win a championship while they learn where the bathroom is. First comes the agony of not knowing. As the trade deadline nears, players become progressively more glued to their phones. Friends and family check in incessantly. No, Mom, I still don’t know anything. Players take the field day after day surrounded by people they know they may never see again. Gausman heard his name in rumors and tried to prepare himself for life without the only team he’d ever known. Schoop’s agent had warned him that morning that there was a 50% chance he would be traded; by the time Schoop climbed into his Uber to head to the ballpark, it was “more than 50,” he said once it was done and he was a Brewer. He was back in his polo as he prepared to leave the ballpark. Everything about a midseason trade is chaotic, but clothes, as it turns out, are not actually the least of a traded player’s worries. His new team will provide a uniform, of course, but what about all the accessories? Practically everything the traded players own has orange piping or patches. So an early call has to go out to a new arrival’s shoe sponsor, his glove sponsor, his bat sponsor. Often a guy who expects to be a rental will request black and white; otherwise he will join Ben Zobrist and Mike Clevinger in trying to ascertain an appropriate cleat color for his new team. Trade Grades: Surprising Pirates Pay Big Price to Acquire Chris Archer From Rays Off the field, the new player must navigate life in a new city—even as he spends at most half his time in that new city. The new team is responsible for putting the player on a plane, and will often help with housing. Baltimore shortstop Tim Beckham, acquired at last year’s deadline from the Rays, elected to live in the team Sheraton, then eventually a Four Seasons for the rest of the season rather than negotiate a lease. He also ensured that Tampa Bay would pick up the payments on his apartment in St. Petersburg. “You spend a lot of time talking with traveling secretaries,” Beckham said. He learned his fate on the road, leaving his girlfriend to box up his belongings. Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce, a veteran of six midseason major league transactions, likes to joke that his wife can pack their house in an hour. Eventually the stuff arrives. They navigate successfully through the hallways of their new home ballpark. They break in their neutral cleats. Sometimes they spray champagne in October. But the emotions take longer to fade. And on trade day, they are painfully raw. “It’s kind of a sad day, to see the band broken up,” Gausman said through tears. He mentioned how excited he was to play meaningful games with the Braves and how disappointed he felt that he hadn’t won more for Baltimore. Then a reporter asked him about specific goodbyes. “There’s still some guys I haven’t talked to,“ Gausman said. Then he had to stop the press conference. He was crying too hard to go on.<doc-sep>“It’s something you know is coming more than likely,” Showalter said. “I think in a lot of ways you’re kind of glad it’s come and gone. Everybody can kind of settle in, the mode that we need to be in the rest of the year. I think it’s kind of reflected in our play here recently. I think the guys kind of know that some changes are coming. We control it. It’s kind of self-inflicted. If we played better, we wouldn’t have to do this. I look at it as there’s a certain accountability for that. If we played better, we wouldn’t be having to make those deals that the club had to make today.”<doc-sep>The Baltimore Orioles traded right-handed starter Kevin Gausman and reliever Darren O’Day to the Atlanta Braves today. Gausman, the Orange Avians first round pick in the 2012 draft out of LSU, has flirted with greatness but never quite put everything together for Baltimore. He’ll get a fresh start with the Braves which does seem like a friendlier environment for him. . .shades of Jake Arrieta getting away from Baltimore and renewing his career with the Cubs perhaps. Be that as it may, the Orioles farm system is thin and needed a big boost. Who did they get in return? Let’s take a look. Brett Cumberland, C: Cumberland was drafted in the compensation round of the 2016 draft from the University of California. He opened 2018 with the High-A Florida Fire Frogs, hitting .236/.367/.407 with 11 homers, 52 walks, and 85 strikeouts in 280 at-bats. He was recently promoted to Double-A where he is 2-for-18 (.111) in five games. Cumberland is 23 years old, a switch-hitter listed at 5-11, 205. Our own resident Braves expert Wayne Cavadi is a fan of Cumberland. When Brett is going well he shows plus bat speed, good plate discipline, and above-average power but his in-game production has been inconsistent. His throwing has improved over time and he’s steadily reduced his error rate, though he still needs more work with blocking and receiving. Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B: The Braves signed Jean Carlos Encarnacion out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He emerged in 2017 with a .321/.346/.464 line in rookie ball, then moved up to Low-A Rome for 2018, hitting .288/.314/.463 with 10 homers in 361 at-bats. The slash line is solid but a weak 13/100 BB/K ratio is a caution flag for his chances at higher levels. Encarnacion is 20 years old, a right-handed hitter listed at 6-3, 195. Power is his best tool and he also has a strong throwing arm, but his hitting philosophy (described by Baseball America as “swing-at-everything”) will be tested against better pitching. He is also very rough with the glove, with an ugly .881 fielding percentage this year. He’s got a high ceiling with the bat but needs a lot of polish. Evan Phillips, RHP: The Braves drafted Phillips in the 17th round in 2015 from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He’s having a fine season with Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 1.99 ERA in 41 innings with a 59/14 K/BB. He appeared briefly in the majors in June and July, pitching 6.1 innings but giving up six runs with three strikeouts and four walks. Phillips is 6-2, 205, age 23. He has a low-to-mid-90s fastball along with a breaking ball, cutter, and change-up. Talking Chop posted a detailed scouting report for him back in June and he seems to have the basic middle relief package. Bruce Zimmermann, LHP: Zimmermann was selected in the fifth round in 2017 from the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina. He’s split 2018 between Low-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi, posting a combined 2.86 ERA in 113 innings with a sharp 125/37 K/BB and 99 hits allowed. Zimmermann is 6-2, 215, age 23. He hasn’t received much attention outside Braves circles but he’s adapted quickly to pro ball and has sleeper markers including a solid statistical record and a low-90s southpaw fastball. His curveball and change-up drew fringy grades in college but the package has worked in pro ball when his command is on. His walk rate has increased since his promotion so he’s got some adjustments to make, but overall he’s got chance as a back-end starter.<doc-sep>
The 27-year-old Gausman has a 5-8 record with a 4.43 ERA in 21 starts this season. He has 104 strikeouts and 32 walks. He has a career record of 39-51 with a 4.22 ERA in six seasons. Gausman, 6-foot-3, was a first-round pick (No. 4 overall) by the Orioles in the 2012 MLB amateur draft. The Braves will have control of Gausman, who will make $5.6 million this season, for the next two seasons, as he is arbitration-eligible in 2019 and 2020. O’Day, 35, compiled a 3.60 ERA and two saves in 20 games for the Orioles this season before landing on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring June 27. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list two days later and is out for the rest of the season. O’Day is owed $9 million next season. Anthopoulos said the Braves spent the bulk of Tuesday on the deal with the Orioles. He said he tried to acquire both pitchers earlier this season. On Gausman: “We were just looking for the right value, the right deal. We did not target and say we had to get a starter. Gausman is someone we’ve been trying to get for a while. We think there is upside there. Changing leagues, a really good defensive club in our minds, some things we do with our game plan our prep can help. We think there is some upside to unlock some of the potential that made him a top pick.” On O’Day: “(We have) needs in bullpen next year. Kicked him around earlier this year before injury. We are excited to have him in 2019. We are going to have some openings in the bullpen and a guy with his experience and success … we have a very young bullpen and this guy brings a lot to the clubhouse.” Braves manager Brian Snitker said he hasn’t decided when Gausman will make his Braves debut. He pitched for the Orioles on Saturday and will go when ready. The Braves now stand with what they believe is an improved roster, although Anthopoulos said he will know “at the end of September.” Yet still a part of the organization are such prized prospects as Kolby Allard, who was to make his major league debut Tuesday against the Marlins, Kyle Wright, Max Fried, Austin Riley, Touki Toussaint and Ian Anderson. “I feel really good,” Snitker said of the trades. “We talked about what would you like to have, and I think he hit all the boxes – bullpen depth, starting pitching, maybe a bat off the bench.” The Braves were rumored to be involved in trade talks with the Rays for top-line starter Chris Archer. While Anthopoulos is not permitted to talk about specific players, he did indicate the Braves spoke to Tampa Bay. Such a deal did not materialize, and the Braves are still prospect-rich. As for several other players the Braves were rumored to be discussing, Anthopoulos said much of the talk was not true. “There were a lot of rumors out there today about who we were in on,” he said. “The bulk of it, almost all of it, was off.”