The Washington Nationals have a lot of work to look forward to in the offseason. They'll have a number of players hit free agency and will need to address some voids, with one of those areas possibly being the outfield.
Rumors suggest Baltimore Orioles outfielder Gerardo Parra could be a potential target of general manager Mike Rizzo.
Denard Span will be a free agent this offseason and after his injury-plagued campaign it's unknown if the Nationals would be willing to re-sign the 31-year-old. Although Michael Taylor will likely be his successor, Washington may need some insurance in the outfield due to Jayson Werth's largely disappointing tenure with the team. He has played in only 587 games over the past five seasons (only 80 this year), adding just 77 home runs and 293 RBIs. He's signed through 2017, but the Nats cannot rely on him to be healthy.
Parra, 28, was having a great season before enduring a recent slump with the O's. He's batting .289/.326/.455 with 78 runs scored, 14 home runs, 46 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 145 games this season with the Brewers and Orioles.
Trade rumors linked Parra to a number of teams, but Baltimore eventually won the bidding when they gave Milwaukee prospect pitcher Zach Davies.
"Outfielder Gerardo Parra is well known to key Nationals officials - General Manager Mike Rizzo and Manager Matt Williams - from their time in Arizona," writes James Wagner of the Washington Post.
"Rizzo was the Diamondbacks scouting director when Parra was signed out of his native Venezuela in 2004, and Williams was on the coaching staff there when Parra patrolled the outfield and won two Gold Gloves. Even after Rizzo moved to Washington and took over the organization, the Nationals remained interested in Parra."
Wagner notes the Nationals tried to make a move for Parra before the non-waiver trade deadline this season, but the demand for the outfielder was high and the team's ownership was unwilling to add to the payroll during the season.
It's also interesting to think where Parra would fit in, regardless of how the Nats are envisioning their outfield situation to play out next year. The unit is set for 2016 with Bryce Harper, Werth and Taylor, and since Parra is expected to command somewhere around a four-year, $40 million deal, it doesn't seem like a prudent investment since the team will also need to figure out their middle infield situation once Ian Desmond likely departs in free agency.
Jordan Zimmermann will hit the market and Stephen Strasburg is eligible for free agency after 2016, so the team must keep the starting rotation in mind as well.
Then again, the Nationals could do some shuffling in the offseason after their disappointing year. They could look to move some pieces around to make room for Parra, if he's a consideration of Rizzo's.
The Nats' No. 1 and 2 hitters did bat a combined .275 this season, but Parra would definitely provide more continuity at the top of the lineup give the team a true leadoff hitter (he's batting .354/.403/.569 in 35 games as a leadoff hitter this season).
Keep an eye on the Nats to chase Parra in the offseason.
