New York Mets Rumors: Gerardo Parra A Free Agent Target?

New York Mets Rumors: The Mets are on the hunt for an outfielder, preverably one that is a left-handed batter to platoon with Juan Lagares; could Gerardo Parra be their man?

The New York Mets made a surprise run to the 2015 World Series thanks to some shrewd moves by general manager Sandly Alderson at the trade deadline. If they are to get back there, and improve their chances of bringing home the title, he will have to have a strong offseason.

One of the bigges question marks for the Mets as the MLB Hot Stove heats up is their offense. With Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes both being free agents, the Mets could be losing a lot of production from their lineup that helped them reach the World Series. Neither player is expected to be back, as their demands are expected to be too rich for the Mets.

So how could they go about replacing them? While the Mets seem ready to replace Murphy with in-house, such as with Dilson Herrera, they can still find some help for the outfield in free agency. One player that they have been looking at, according to Marc Carig of Newsday, is Gerardo Parra.

The Mets have been in touch with Gerardo Parra's agent. No surprise there. He's been on their radar.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) November 17, 2015

Parra, who was traded to the Baltimore Orioles from the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline last season, had a great season. The 28-year old picked a great time to have his best career season, as he had a career-high batting average at .291, home runs with 14 and runs with 81. He can slot in at any place in the outfield, which would make him even more enticing for the Mets.

His splits are also something the Mets will pay attention to. In 2015, the Mets were at their best with Juan Lagares in a platoon and late game defensive replacement. Lagares is exposed at times at the plate against right-handed pitching, slashing .253/.271/.328 against them compared to .273/.333/.438 against lefties. Parra would be a perfect platoon player to use with Lagares.

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Against right-handed pitching in 2015, Parra slashed .303/.336/.473, a vast improvement over the slash line of .240/.298/.365 he had against lefties. Parra, like Lagares, seems like the best fit in a platoon, but there is no guarantee that is what he will be looking for. As a free agent for the first time, and coming off a strong season, Parra could be looking to maximize his earning potential and find a place he could be a full-time starter.

That is something the Mets would probably not be able to do, as they already have left-handed hitting outfielders that will be getting major playing time in Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto. There is also some concern that Parra could not handle centerfield full time, and is better suited for a corner outfield spot. If that ends up being the case, the Mets become a difficult place to see Parra signing as the aforementioned two players are locked into full-time starting spots.

The Mets will try hard to sign Parra, as he would represent a solid platoon option to Lagares. If he is looking for a better opportunity in terms of playing time, it would be a tough sell for the Mets. With the season that Granderson had, it is tough to envision him losing any playing time, and Conforto showed that he is ready for an increased role. If Parra is not willing to play in a platoon, the Mets will more than likely look elsewhere.

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Two other names to keep a name on are Dexter Fowler and Denard Span. Fowler is a switch hitter, so he would help balance the Mets’ outfield out a little bit, while Span is left-handed, giving them another option to potentially platoon with Lagares. It is something to keep an eye on, as the rotation Terry Collins used with Conforto, Lagares, Cespedes and Granderson down the stretch worked wonders, and it something he will look to duplicate the success of in 2016.

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