According to Marc Craig of Newsday, the Mets have interest in free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra. Martino reports that the Mets are keeping in touch with his representatives, and he appears to be one of the top targets on their radar.
While Parra disappointed in the second half with the Orioles, he had one of his best offensive seasons of his career in 2015. During 155 games, he batted .291 with 14 homeruns and 14 steals His .780 OPS was the second highest mark of his seven year 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. He has good splits versus right handed pitching, which makes him a great candidate to platoon in center field with Juan Lagares. He has a career .289 average against righties with a .432 slugging percentage.
Martino also says that the Mets believe he can handle center field defensively even though he’s better suited for a corner spot.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the center field situation plays out as the Mets have a lot of options to consider. One other potential target is already off the market as the Texas Rangers traded Leonys Martin yesterday to the Mariners for Tom Wilhelmsen.
Martin batted only .219 this season, but he could be in line for a bounce back season and plays excellent defense in center. However, the Mets didn’t miss out on much as they currently have their sights set on on better players such as Parra.
