By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Jul 31, 2018 at 4:39 PM

I hope you like power-first infielders, because the Brewers got another power-first infielder to go with all of its power-first infielders. 

Just days after picking up third baseman Mike Moustakas from the Kansas City Royals and having to drastically reconfigure its infield, the Milwaukee Brewers today – at the very last minute before the deadline – traded for Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop ... and will now have to drastically reconfigure its infield yet again.

As for Schoop, in six years with the Orioles, he's battled .261 with 106 home runs and 312 RBIs – including an all-star season last year thanks to a .293 batting average with 32 home runs and 105 RBIs. Schoop's 2018 campaign has so far not been up to that level, as he's currently batting .244 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs. However, he did spend some time on the DL earlier this season with an oblique strain – plus, since the All-Star break, he's been hitting .349 with seven home runs and a current 12-game hitting streak. 

"We are excited to add another talented infielder to our position player group," said Brewers GM David Stearns, in a release. "Jonathan has proven to be one of the most dynamic infielders in the game and we are happy to have him."

The move, however, sends the Brewers out of the trade deadline with more questions than answers. Though Schoop should bring a desperately needed amount of pop to the team's infield offense, there's a lot of confusion over how he'll fit in a defense already trying to shuffle Moustakas and Travis Shaw around. Will they platoon? Will they keep Schoop at second and Moustakas at third, putting Shaw at shortstop – brand new territory for a player already feeling out brand new territory? Or will they move Schoop to shortstop – he played that position in the minors, as well as on very rare occasions in Baltimore – and keep Shaw at second and Moustakas at third? No matter the combination, the Brewers' defense will be ... interesting. 

Meanwhile, questions still surround the Brewers' comfort at starting pitching. Despite grumblings, the Brewers actually lead the National League in quality starts – but with injuries to Brent Suter and Zach Davies, plus recent stumbles from Junior Guerra and Freddy Peralta, that seems to be an area of need headed into the trade deadline. The Brewers, however, left empty-handed. But does this mean the return of Davies – or (*whispers carefully*) Jimmy Nelson – could be imminent? 

Here's the some solid good news, though: Schoop – who is under team control through the 2019 season – is undoubtedly a better offensive bat in the lineup than many of the infielders Milwaukee's seen shuffled in and out this season (Eric Sogard, Nate Orf, Brad Miller). Plus, the Brewers scored him without losing major prospects, sending second baseman Jonathan Villar (a fine player who struggled to find consistent play), RHP Luis Ortiz and infielder Jean Carmona to Baltimore – some decent players, but no major cogs to its current core or minor league system.

So overall, despite some of the trades' apparent redundancies, the Brewers made three deadline deals to improve for the present season without sacrificing the future.  

As for that present season, the Brewers are currently sitting one game behind the first-place Chicago Cubs – as well as six games ahead of the shockingly competitive Pittsburgh Pirates – at 62-47, and leading the NL Wild Card chase by 2.5 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks with two months to go. So hold on tight.

Also: Yes, we know his name is pronounced "scope," not "scoop." 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.