People within the Mets organization have always liked Brewers OF Gerardo Parra, a former Gold Glove Award winner who is having an outstanding season at the plate. And, they were reportedly interested in acquiring him ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Apparently, talks were serious into late last night with the Brewers to bring Parra to the Mets, according to Marc Carig of Newsday.
However, those trade discussions broke down, which prompted the Mets to decide to call up Michael Conforto, since their hand was forced after learning they would have to send Michael Cuddyer to the disabled list.
It’s not clear if the Mets will continue to pursue Parra this summer, although Sandy Alderson said promoting Conforto has no impact on their maneuverability before the trade deadline.
In fact, Alderson said Conforto’s stay in the big leagues could be contingent upon whether or not the Mets make a big league acquisition in the outfield.
It’s not clear what the price tag might ultimately be for a player of Parra’s ilk, but presumably less than that for someone like Justin Upton or Carlos Gomez, although if demand continues to rise, clubs might find themselves in a position to be overpaying for the pending free agent. It seems the Mets are more than willing to part with former first-round selection Brandon Nimmo in the right deal, and Carig has previously reported the Mets could also be willing to move Gavin Cecchini and Michael Fulmer to help solidify their starving offense.
Parra is an outstanding fit for the Mets right now. While the advanced metrics suggest Parra has struggled defensively, he is a two-time Gold Glove Award winning outfielder who would unquestionably upgrade their outfield defense along with providing an immediate boost to their offense. His splits have been solid this year, so the club would not have to consider a platoon with Parra.
Parra can be a free agent at the end of the season, and if he’s traded, the Mets will be unable to make him a qualifying offer. Of course, he should be considered a longer-term option for the Mets given his age and skill set, so trading for and pursuing a new contract should be in consideration going forward.
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[…] Brewers OF and pending free agent Gerardo Parra, and, as Marc Carig of Newsday reported on Friday, the clubs were working on a deal into late Thursday before the Mets called up Michael Conforto, Rosenthal writes the Brewers believe they can do better than the pitching prospect […]
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