Mets, Bobby Parnell Avoid Salary Arbitration With One-Year Deal

With the Mets' offseason search for outfielders and pitchers seemingly at a standstill, the team announced on its Twitter account that they've agreed to a one-year contract with reliever Bobby Parnell, avoiding salary arbitration. Parnell will receive $1.7 million for his services in 2013, a raise from the $504,000 he made in 2012 as a pre-arbitration eligible player. The 28-year old reliever is still under the Mets' control through the 2015 season, after which he can become a free agent. For what it's worth, MLB Trade Rumors.com estimated that he would receive $1.5 million earlier this offseason.

A 2005 9th-round draft pick by the Mets out of Charleston Southern University, Parnell made his big league debut with the Mets back in 2008 and has since become a stalwart in the team's bullpen. In 68.2 innings in 2012, Parnell took a large step forward as he put up a career-low 2.49 ERA, to go along with a 2.99 FIP, a 3.15 xFIP and a career-best 1.0 fWAR. He also limited opponents to a .243 batting average against and upped his groundball rate to an excellent 61.5%. Parnell figures to be a key cog in the team's bullpen during the 2013 season and beyond.