The Mets are 14 games below .500 and 13.5 games out of first place in the NL East, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily news reports that the team is unlikely to make closer Bobby Parnell available this summer as the trade deadline draws near.
Martino writes that Mets GM Sandy Alderson considers Parnell a valuable piece for 2014 and is focused on building a team that can contend in the near future rather than loading up on prospects. Rather than deal Parnell, the Mets figure to be on the lookout to acquire outfielders who can help them this year and beyond.
The 28-year-old Parnell has been dominant since the beginning of the 2012 season, posting a 2.56 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 to go along with a 59 percent ground-ball rate. For those who are more sabermetrically inclined, Parnell's sparkling ERA in that time is backed up by FIP (2.76), xFIP (3.19) and SIERA (2.89). As Martino notes, teams like the Reds and Tigers would likely be very interested in Parnell should he become available, but that looks to be an unlikely scenario at this juncture.
Parnell is controlled through the 2015 season and avoided arbitration for the first time this past offseason, agreeing to a $1.7MM salary for the 2013 campaign.
