Gerardo Parra return makes sense for Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles brought in Gerardo Parra as their major trade deadline move, acquiring the outfielder from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitching prospect Zach Davies. The following two months were not particularly fortuitous for either the team or the player.

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With the Brewers well out of any postseason race and one of the chief sellers at the July deadline, the 28-year-old Parra had become one of the hotter commodities on the trade market. Through 100 games, the lefty hitter appeared well on his way to the best season of his career, sporting a .328/.369/.517 slash line along with nine home runs and 31 RBI.

Parra’s time in an O’s uniform has been far less productive. In 49 games with Baltimore, he is slashing .215/.244/.340 with five homers and 15 RBI. Meanwhile, the Orioles have gone 24-30 since the start of August and sit in fourth place in the AL East, officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Despite his disappointing performance with the team to date, the Orioles seem quite interested in making Parra part of their long-term plans. The outfielder will become a free agent this offseason, and according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, O’s vice president Dan Duquette wants to keep him around.

Parra himself appears open to the idea. When asked for his thoughts about returning, he answered, “For sure. I like the fans. I like the team. I like the players. I like everything about here. It’s a great team and all the people are good to me.”

Re-signing Parra may seem like a suspect move considering how poorly he has played in Baltimore, but it could also prove a solid decision for the team to make. While he is almost certainly not the .328 hitter he was in 100 games with the Brewers this season, he is very likely not the .215 hitter he has been with the Orioles either.

From 2009-2014, Parra slashed .274/.326/.395 while averaging seven home runs and 43 RBI per season. Those numbers could be a reasonable expectation for him moving forward, and at age 28 he presumably has a few seasons to go before any dramatic decline. A multi-year deal might not be such a bad investment.

As Connolly points out in his column, Parra’s value lies in more than just his bat as well. At a relatively young age, the outfielder already has two Gold Glove awards to his name. Though his defensive work in Milwaukee this year was uncharacteristically poor (-4.9 UZR), he has been markedly better since arriving in Baltimore (1.5 UZR). He can be comfortably plugged into any outfield position, lending his team some additional flexibility.

The Orioles are also nearing a crossroads regarding their own impending free agents. Several of the club’s key contributors will enter free agency, including Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Wei-Yin Chen. Unless the franchise alters its typically frugal spending approach, it’s not unreasonable to think all of those names could depart.

If Baltimore instead fixes on the second tier of the 2016 free agent class, Parra will be one of the more appealing outfield options available, and one the team could have an inside track on securing. His lackluster finish to the season may have dented his stock enough for the O’s to sign him to a relatively inoffensive deal in terms of both dollars and years. Eager to prove his strong start to 2015 wasn’t a fluke, Parra may be agreeable to a two- or three-year pact, which would fit well with the Orioles’ modus operandi.

If the Baltimore Orioles don’t open their checkbook like they did for Adam Jones‘ extension a few years ago, they are likely staring at a significant roster exodus. Looking for a rebound from Gerardo Parra would be a decent bet for them to take in their bid to remain competitive in 2016.

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