Arb Eligible Brewers: Gerardo Parra

Aug 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Gerardo Parra (28) follows through during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

GERARDO PARRA
2014 Contract: $4.85 million
Grade: C+

On the last day in July 2014, the Brewers acquired outfielder Gerardo Parra from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Mitch Haniger and Anthony Banda.

Haniger was a middling prospect and Banda was a bit farther down the food chain, so it appeared to be a good trade for Milwaukee.

After the 2014 season, that prediction held true as Parra proved to be a solid ‘3.5’ outfielder, performing well as a spot starter and fourth outfielder for the Brewers this past season.

Parra played in Milwaukee for two months and did a good job, slashing 268/318/390 in 134 plate appearances. Parra did take advantage of playing in Miller Park, banging out homers once every 41 ABs versus his career average of one dinger every 67 at-bats.

In the field, Parra is one of the top flychasers in the bigs, having earned two Gold Gloves in the last three years. He did not win this season, as the Braves Jason Heyward grabbed the award, and rightfully so.

The 27-year-old Venezuelan started twenty-eight of the 46 games he played for Milwaukee. Parra started seven straight games in early September and was red-hot during those contests, hitting .414 (12-for-29) including a double and a homer while the team struggled, winning only one of those seven matches.

Parra’s career slash line is 274/326/395, so he is a serviceable player. He fits well in Milwaukee as the fourth outfielder and doesn’t hurt the team if he is in the starting lineup.

Last off-season while playing for Arizona, Parra and the D-Backs avoided arbitration as the two parties agreed to a nearly mid-point figure between the team’s $4.3 million offer and the player’s $5.2 million suggestion.

2015 and Beyond

This year, it is likely that Parra and the Brewers could begin the arbitration process in mid-January, but it is just as likely they will agree to a one or maybe two-year pact before the case goes before an arbiter.

Even though this season was arguably Parra’s worst of his six in the bigs, it was still a decent campaign and should allow him to get a small raise before Spring Training. Unless one of the parties offers an outrageously low or high figure, Parra could sign for somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million for one year.

It is also possible the Brewers might want to lock up Parra for multiple seasons as an insurance policy against injuries to Khris Davis, Carlos Gomez, or the suddenly-fragile Ryan Braun.

I believe the Brewers will sign Parra to a one-year deal and we can expect to see him in a role similar to that of the 2014 season.