The New York Mets have kept in contact with the representatives for free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra whom they met with at the GM Meetings earlier this month. He appears to be one of the top targets on the Mets’ offseason wish list.
While Parra disappointed in the second half with the Baltimore Orioles, he still had one of the best offensive seasons of his career in 2015. In 155 games, Parra batted .291 with 36 doubles, 14 homeruns, 83 runs scored and 14 steals between the O’s and the Brewers. He posted a .780 OPS and his 108 wRC+ was the highest of his seven year career.
A gifted defensive corner outfielder who has already won two Gold Gloves, the Mets believe he can handle center field defensively where he has started 186 times in his career.
The Mets decided to pass on Parra at the trading deadline over the summer, but the 28-year old outfielder could be a perfect fit in New York – or at least that’s the buzz around baseball. They view him as a great candidate to platoon in center with Juan Lagares. Parra has a career .289 average against righties with a .432 slugging percentage.
Lagares, 26, saw drops in both his offensive and defensive production after batting .281/.321/.382 in 2014. He hit just .259/.289/.358 in 143 games this past season. However, Lagares batted .273/.333/.438 against lefties this year and owns a career .279/.325/.427 line against them.
For the always budget-minded Mets, Parra and Lagares would compliment each other nicely and give them a cheaper alternative to some of the other free agent outfielders on the market.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reported that the Orioles are very interested in reuniting with Parra this offseason, but he adds that they are looking at a one or two year deal at most. Their hope is that Parra might sign a one-year pillow contract to boost his value and then sign a more lucrative longterm deal next offseason.
While it’s plausible, it’s also very unlikely Parra takes a one-year deal. Recently on MMO we projected him to get a three-year deal worth $24-27 million dollars. There is the added appeal that Parra is not tied to any draft compensation like a Dexter Fowler.
In addition to the Mets and Orioles, the Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals and Kansas City Royals have also expressed interest in Parra.
