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The Baltimore Orioles awoke from their slumber by trading with the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Gerardo Parra the morning of the MLB trade deadline. In exchange for the 28-year-old left-handed batter, the Orioles traded minor league pitcher Zach Davies. This move helps improve Baltimore’s struggling corner outfield position as the Orioles push for the postseason.
Parra is having a career year for the Brewers, compiling a slash line of .328/.369/.517 with 53 runs, nine home runs, 31 RBIs and nine steals atop the Milwaukee lineup this season. His batting average ranks fourth in the National League and his .435 average in July is the best in the majors. Parra has a track record as an excellent defensive player, with two Gold Gloves and the ability to play each outfield position. He will likely play left field for the Orioles while batting either first or second in the lineup.
Baltimore’s corner outfield spots have been a mess this season, as left fielders are batting a putrid .229/.296/.365 in 2015. Six different players have started in left, including Travis Snider, David Lough, Nolan Reimold, Steve Pearce, Delmon Young and Alejandro De Aza — the last two aren’t even on the team anymore. Parra’s presence will help close the revolving door that’s occurred at this position the entire season. While the acquisition of Parra isn’t the big splash that many were hoping for, he came at a reasonable price and could be an underrated addition for the remainder of the year.
In order to rent one of the hottest hitters in the league right now, Baltimore had to give up a solid pitching prospect in return. According to Baseball America’s midseason prospect rankings, Davies was the eighth-rated prospect in the Orioles’ organization. In 101.1 innings with Triple-A Norfolk, he accumulated a 2.84 ERA with a 7.2 K/9. He projects as a potential starter at the back end of a rotation, which is something the Orioles possess in abundance. The key is that Baltimore avoided trading top prospects such as Dylan Bundy, Hunter Harvey or Kevin Gausman in order to make this move.
This trade looks like a fair deal for both sides. The Brewers received a potential starting pitcher for the future, while the Orioles got an important piece for a postseason push. Baltimore will be a much better team with Parra in the lineup, but they still must rely on the core players down the stretch. Considering the team’s needs and the reasonable price, the Orioles made a good deal by trading for Parra.
Ben Linton is a MLB writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @Ben_Linton91, or add him to your network on Google.
