Rosenthal: Brewers open to moving Parra

[Mass Haas]

Tweet --

 

Sources: #Brewers open to moving Parra, who projects to $6.4M in final year of arb, per @mlbtraderumors. Could be option for Melky losers.

 

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Yes, please, not only for the money free-up, but because Roenicke will play Parra over Davis against way too many RHP's.

 

Protect Ron from himself, Doug.

[pacopete4]

There are players out there who may not be as great as Parra is as a defender but will give you about the same or better with the bat for a lot cheaper. Trade him, obtain a piece in the pen. Or make him a part of a larger trade to acquire some higher prospects.

[3and2Fastball]

Rosenthal reporting the Brewers are open to trading Parra, possibly for a relief pitcher....

 

I hope they don't do that.

 

Unless this is part of a bigger move involving bringing in a top flight LF (Justin Upton?) which I seriously doubt

 

http://www.brewcrewball.com/2014/12/8/7353231/gerardo-parra-trade-rumors-brewers

[3and2Fastball]

You have a LF in Davis who is horrible vs RHP and below average on defense, and you get a Gold Glove caliber guy in Parra to platoon with him, problem solved, and then just trade him for a relief pitcher? That makes no sense to me other than a salary dump, which as a fan is frustrating

[SRB]

I like Parra a lot, but it depends on the RP. The Will Smith trade worked out pretty well for us, if they can get another RP who is that good (plus salary relief to maybe sign a UTIL) I think it's a good deal.

[pete]

Davis has a very weak arm, but his defense otherwise was surprisingly good. He didn't have a huge LH/RH split in the minors although a bit of a different profile. In the majors he seemed like he was pressing a lot and change-ups may prove to be kryptonite. I wouldn't call his numbers horrible though.

 

Platooning 3 positions - now that makes no sense to me. Maybe Logan Schafer is a AAAA player or maybe he just couldn't overcome the Roenicke treatment - rare and inconsistent at bats. I'd guess he'd do better than his MLB slash line to date and that could make him about what Parra is. It also depends on how far off they think Kyle Wren is.

[JohnBriggs12]

Davis' righty/lefty splits aren't drastically different. His OPS vs. RHP was .749 compared to .777 vs. lefties. He had more HR vs. RHP than Ramirez had total. His K rate against RHP (1 in every 4.24 AB) was better than it was against LHP (1 in 3.75 AB),

 

Davis was a productive hitter. Parra's OPS last year was a pedestrian .677. If somebody offers something of value, you unload that salary and find a cheaper alternative. Matt Clark can play LF. Logan Schafer can still back up in CF. Those two can take over Parra's duties. They'll have RH Bench bats backing up in the IF.

 

I give Schafer some slack. His numbers are pretty much in line with what you see from primarily defensive bench outfielders elsewhere who total under 200 AB's. Nationals won a lot of games with Nate McLouth posting .173/.280/.237 in same role as Schafer. If Schafer was forced into full time duty, I'm sure he could produce along the lines of a Gregor Blanco. As long as Schafer's cheap, I'm fine with him.

[BrewBalls]

Davis' righty/lefty splits aren't drastically different. His OPS vs. RHP was .749 compared to .777 vs. lefties. He had more HR vs. RHP than Ramirez had total. His K rate against RHP (1 in every 4.24 AB) was better than it was against LHP (1 in 3.75 AB),

 

Davis was a productive hitter. Parra's OPS last year was a pedestrian .677. If somebody offers something of value, you unload that salary and find a cheaper alternative. Matt Clark can play LF. Logan Schafer can still back up in CF. Those two can take over Parra's duties.

I'm ok with trading Parra if the return is decent, but would prefer to sign someone like Edny Chavez who offers a better bat than Schafer especially if his salary is around or under $1.5M. The other option is to sign Bonifacio who can back up CF and platoon with Gennett although he will be more costly.

[fondybrewfan]

I would also have no problem trading Parra if only to come up with some more dollars to throw at the bullpen. Parra is the 4th OF at this point and Melvin should be able to find some cheaper options even if they aren't the defensive player that Parra is. Spend the extra $5 Million on the bullpen.

[reillymcshane]

If you get a deal that makes you better, you don't flinch. I like Parra a lot, but he's still Gerardo Parra. It's not like we're giving up Mickey Mantle.

 

If Milwaukee is going to contend this year, I think depth is important. Braun has some obvious questions. But Davis and Gomez do as well. They each had some minor issues last year. If you do deal Parra, getting someone who can step in and play respectably is important.

 

Freeing up $6M offers us some options, and should be considered if we get something decent in return.

[3and2Fastball]

I like Parra a lot, but he's still Gerardo Parra. It's not like we're giving up Mickey Mantle.

 

OK sure, but Khris Davis isn't anything special yet, either. If one feels like he can develop into a very good player (I don't really), then you give him that chance. But this is a guy who had a 107 OPS+ in 2014 and had a .298 OBP vs RHP

 

Maybe Davis has potential. He's going into his age 27 season and is a low cost player. But I sincerely see him as one of the problem spots for the Brewers and not a bright light of potential. I see, if the Brewers really are "going for it", that to me LF is an area that needs to be upgraded. Parra as a platoon mate (even just a soft-platoon) is an upgrade to a degree. Trading away Parra for a relief pitcher and counting on Davis full-time "because he hit 22 HR's" is potentially a real blunder.

 

If you start trotting out players like Davis, Gennett & Lind without platoon mates you could potentially see some extremely mediocre Baseball from the Brewers in 2015. (On the plus side of that at least we could be sellers at the deadline and build for the future)

[3and2Fastball]

Meant to add: I can understand the optimism when it comes to Davis. He's a guy who out-produced (in terms of WAR at least) Shin-Soo Choo and Matt Kemp at a fraction of the price. His offensive stats were very similar to Yoenis Cespedes. He ranked 14th in MLB in WAR among all LF's. That isn't horrible

 

I hope he ends up becoming great. I just have real concerns

[TheCrew07]

Yes but you can't platoon every position either, it's not cost effective if the platoon mate isn't able to play multiple positions. Parra fits that bill as he can cover multiple positions, but he's an extremely expensive backup or platoon mate. Our backups haven't had a whole lot of positional flexibility which has been the biggest problem with our platoons. Again, Parra has flexibility but he's being paid like a starter, will RR get him enough ABs to make that commitment worth it? In theory sure, but I don't think any of us really know for sure, and Parra may be a luxury the Brewers aren't able to afford.

 

Parra is a marginal upgrade at best over Davis... certainly defensively, but he's not superior offensively by any stretch. I get the "insurance policy" argument but if there is a good deal out there for him I don't see the value in arbitrarily turning it down because "we need insurance". Gerardo Parra will not save the 2015 Milwaukee Brewers by himself, he's a huge downgrade from Gomez or Braun, even last year's Braun. If the Brewers lose key pieces they are sunk with or without Parra.

[TooLiveBrew]

I like Parra a lot, but he's still Gerardo Parra. It's not like we're giving up Mickey Mantle.

 

OK sure, but Khris Davis isn't anything special yet, either. If one feels like he can develop into a very good player (I don't really), then you give him that chance. But this is a guy who had a 107 OPS+ in 2014 and had a .298 OBP vs RHP

 

Maybe Davis has potential. He's going into his age 27 season and is a low cost player. But I sincerely see him as one of the problem spots for the Brewers and not a bright light of potential. I see, if the Brewers really are "going for it", that to me LF is an area that needs to be upgraded. Parra as a platoon mate (even just a soft-platoon) is an upgrade to a degree. Trading away Parra for a relief pitcher and counting on Davis full-time "because he hit 22 HR's" is potentially a real blunder.

 

If you start trotting out players like Davis, Gennett & Lind without platoon mates you could potentially see some extremely mediocre Baseball from the Brewers in 2015. (On the plus side of that at least we could be sellers at the deadline and build for the future)

Parra's line against righties in 2014 was .261/.308/.369/.677 (career .286/.334/.424/.758). Even as a LH batter, his average career value against RHP is comparable to what Davis did last season. Obviously the defense Parra provides is waaaay better than Davis's, but I think Davis is going to improve as a hitter.

 

After a similar trajectory through the minors (good stats, but the general scout opinion that he had limited upside), another Brewers player posted an underwhelming line of .265/.313/.391/.703 in his age-25 season, only to improve dramatically -- Lucroy. I'm not expecting Khris to improve to the degree that Luc has, but I'm definitely expecting him to improve on his 2014 numbers.

 

I actually would like to see Parra retained if the goal is to compete for the WS next season, but the only way in which he's a significantly better option than Davis imo is his defense. I do think that Parra is an ideal 4th OF, though.

[3and2Fastball]

Yes but you can't platoon every position either.

 

You can certainly platoon 3 positions. The Baltimore Orioles did it in 1983 and won a WS. Maybe times have changed too much since then but I don't think so. If anything, with pitching so dominant these days, you can't allow players to give away at-bats, like Davis does vs RHP or Gennett & Lind do vs LHP

 

If the argument is that we need a better platoon mate for Davis than Parra, I'm all for that. Parra did hit .280/.324 in the 2nd half last year and provided stellar defense, something that the Brewers are sorely lacking outside of Lucroy, Segura, Gomez

 

 

I'm not expecting Khris to improve to the degree that Luc has, but I'm definitely expecting him to improve on his 2014 numbers.

 

I hope you are right. There is certainly a plausible argument to suggest you will be correct. I just have real doubts.

[SRB]

Mariners one of the teams rumored to be targeting Melky Cabera. If they lose out, what about OF Gerrardo Parra for LHP Charlie Furbush? I agree that the Brewers should be asking for a lot, given that Parra could play a valuable role in 2015, so I would only pull the trigger if we got that type of return.

[reillymcshane]

Meant to add: I can understand the optimism when it comes to Davis. He's a guy who out-produced (in terms of WAR at least) Shin-Soo Choo and Matt Kemp at a fraction of the price. His offensive stats were very similar to Yoenis Cespedes. He ranked 14th in MLB in WAR among all LF's. That isn't horrible

 

I hope he ends up becoming great. I just have real concerns

I have some some concerns about Davis as well, but I'm willing to roll the dice on him because he has solid potential.

 

I could see Davis hitting 25 HR with an .800 OPS. But I can just as easily see him being exploited by pitchers (specifically his inability to hit breaking balls) and end up a .210 hitter. Last season Davis hit .136 against breaking balls when he put the ball in play - 5th worst in the league. He hit .229 after the all-star break - was that just the nagging injuries or did pitchers simply figure him out. I don't know, but those thing concern me.

 

Still, if Davis can improve - even a little - he's a very valuable player. 25 HR right handed power types don't just grow on trees these days. I say we let him play, do everything to help him adjust to how pitchers are attacking him, and hope he continues to develop. Milwaukee NEEDS Davis to develop if they are going to contend next year.

 

Here's a look at Davis' issues with hitting the breaking ball:

 

http://thefirstoutatthird.com/2014/11/29/khris-davis-cant-hit-changeup-brewers/

[pete]

Endy Chavez is going to be 37 next opening day.

 

He is a former Montreal Expo though and it would would continue the tradition of guys spending the first year of their retirement here.

[KCBrewerfan34]

I would be calling the Royals about their bullpen arms, supposedly they want a Melky Cabrera type, meet Geraldo Parra.

[DHonks]

Never liked Parra. I'd be happy to move him in the right deal. I'd happily take a reliever or some AAA relief/rotation depth.

 

I loved our AAA rotation to open last year, but the depth has been depleted:

Nelson

Hellweg

Fiers

Burgos

Pena