Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he’s open to the idea of adding another starting pitcher before Spring Training begins. If the D’Backs do add an arm, expect a bargain. "We're trying to identify the right guy," Towers said. "Someone who sees an opportunity to compete, who knows what the competition is and wants to do it." Here are the rest of Piecoro’s notes:
- Teams called about Gerardo Parra after the D’Backs signed Jason Kubel, but Towers expects Parra to pick up significant playing time in 2012. "I'm not really motivated to move him," he said. Towers expects Parra to see more playing time in center and right, especially against tough right-handers.
- The D’Backs haven’t made major progress toward an extension with Miguel Montero, but they still hope to keep him “well beyond this year,” according to Towers. The catcher projects to earn $5.3MM in 2012, his final season before hitting free agency. There aren’t a lot of relevant catcher extensions for the sides to use as a frame of reference for a possible deal, according to Towers. “I think Miggy likes it here and we like him here. We just have to keep working at it," the GM said.
- Agent Jose Mijares recently said the sides are nearing an agreement on a 2012 salary for the extension candidate.
- Stephen Drew is recovering from ankle surgery and still hopes to start the season on time.
Exactly when is Parra going to play RF? Are they expecting Upton to get hurt? How many games does Upton need rest?
I’d trade Young if I were them
Yeah, piss off your franchise player by trading away his best friend. Real smart, not to mention he plays great D and is a 20/20 lock every year.
.236 avg last season, .331 OBP, .420 SLG. He’s OK, but nothing special.
he plays centerfield and he plays it well, so that offense is more than enough. at 4.5+ fWAR each of the last two years, “nothing special” is inaccurate
Young was also a beast in both of his brief playoff appearances 07 and 11. On top of that, his .236 average is as much a result of hand injury as it is poor plate discipline. The man walked the 6th most times in the league last year, and plays defense at a higher level than ALMOST any other CF in all of MLB. He absolutely worth holding on to. He’s a 20/20 lock and a bonafide 30/30 threat.
Well said.
on top of that he struggled with a hamstring issue that probably handicapped his power
If the choice is to not trade Parra then what are the other options? If you want to get Parra more at bats you’re not sitting upton or Kubel for him. Plus the Dbacks could probably get a better return for Young
And if this were to happen whom exactly would be the back up CF? Or 4th Of at that… Cole Gillespie is not going to get it done…besides Upton,Yong and Parra are joined at the hip
Yeah, taking ABs away from Upton will only hurt the D’backs. So many teams would take an interest in Parra and Chris Young, they’re crazy holding onto both. Which makes me think this is a marketing deal for ST or the trade deadline. Parra hasn’t gained enough experience but could soon to be enviable and Young could bring in quite a haul as is.
Parra is really good defensively in left, but good luck playing him in center. He has absolutely no feel for the position and can’t go back on balls.
Explain. Parra played CF in the minors and often plays it in International ball. His arm alone would be a huge plus over Young and I’m confident in his range.
You have obviously not watched Parra play CF in the majors, nor looked at any defensive statistics. Parra is not a good defensive CFer, where as Young in an elite defender–certainly one of the two or three best in the majors. Playing Parra in CF would be a definite defensive downgrade, particularly having a below average fielder in Kubel beside him.
Wow. Jose Mijares really gets around.
You mean like your mom? Sorry, couldn’t resist.
having 4 good OF’s is good problem to have….haha idk y ppl r freaking out. Parra will get his AB’s if CY struggles again.
ikr?! rotfl. tht is lke ttly so w3ird. Did I do it right?
-Dont trade Parra.
-Extend Miggy.
-Drew starts the season on time.
Boom.
Jackpot!
i question whether drew starts on time…i also can’t see him in sedona red past the trade deadline. drew doesn’t really fit the team anymore; his inconsistent offense and average defense have been replaced by 2 guys who play for less than half his salary. unless he has some kind of career season in his contract year (typical drew behavior) i doubt KT has much interest in retaining him. his money should be saved for resigning Montero and Upton again when the time comes, and if he is hitting well midseason, he would probably net us a tidy haul of prospects. drew is the most expendable guy on the roster; cy is second. cy falls off that list when you consider the friend factor you mentioned above though…did you happen to see the pic of CY, J-up and Tatman on new years? that’s chemistry you can’t mess with!
Stephen Drew is one of the better offensive shortstops in the game. I think you’re greatly underestimating how bad with the bat most shortstops are.
Replacing Drew with Bloomquist/McDonald, two replacement level players and nonstarters on a playoff team, is an obvious and significant downgrade.
If the DBacks are contending, they really shouldn’t be downgrading their team at the deadline.
When the team signed Kubel it was obvious that management has taken notice to Youngs horrendous stats against righthanded pitchers. I got a lot of negativity from folks who hated that obvious deduction about Young. CY needs to be put on the shelf against right handed pitchers. What is it about CY that makes people think he is a plus fielder that can hit, Parra is a great fielder with a live arm. I would take him in a heartbeat over young in center field. Let CY face those tough left handed pitchers that gives Parra so much trouble.
CY and Tatman both have a lot of trouble against right handed pitching, but if there’s one thing Gibby showed us last year, it’s that there are ABs to go around. All 4 guys are gonna get plenty of plate time and plenty of time in that outfield.
I AM LOVING THIS LUXURY OF 4 SOLID OUTFIELDERS!!
Am I the only Dbacks fan that remembers the last time our OF was this sick? We won the freakin Series, man! Gonzo, Finley, Bautista, and Reggie…
We’ve got that same flex again, and I love it!
I can agree with CY in left and Parra in center, but Young is still a power threat even against RHPs. Parra can occasionally hit a dinger but a healthy Young would trump him offensively.
Parra is not a good defender in CF. Young on the other hand is an elite defender. Just from a defensive standpoint, playing Parra in CF is a bad idea.
There’s not very much data on Parra in center, what are you basing this conclusion off of exactly?
He’s basing it off 10 innings in centerfield in 2011 (it gave him something like a -300 UZR/150) and it brought his career averages way down. He actually plays above average defense (around a 7 UZR/150).
The DBacks have a bevy of pitch-to-contact pitchers which mandates good defense behind them.
Kubel really should be the righty mashing bench bat/4th OF/backup 1B. He’s not better than Parra.
We should have moved to the AL and had Kubel DH
Towers knows what he’s doing. Parra is a 4th OF who had a fluke year at the plate. Kubel should put up .270 30HR and 100rbi in that park. Plus they badly need LH power. Montero can hit the ball a mile, but he’s not a consistent threat to leave the park.