Gerardo Parra signs three-year deal with Colorado Rockies

Gerardo Parra will now call Coors Field home. According to Wilmer Reina and the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders, the outfielder signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Rockies. Saunders pegged the contract at $27.5 million with a $12-million option.

As the Mets searched for a left-handed center fielder to platoon with Juan Lagares, Parra stood out as a sensible candidate. During a breakout offensive campaign in 2015, he hit .303/.336/.473 with 11 home runs versus righties. His name also popped up in midseason trade talks, but the Milwaukee Brewers shipped him to the Baltimore Orioles.

Parra posted career highs in home run (14), runs scored (82), slugging percentage (.452), and wRC+ (108) last season, all of which helped snag him a three-year deal. He also, however, faded down the stretch, hitting .237/.268/.357 in 55 games for Baltimore.

Previously valued for his glove, he recorded minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in the outfield last year. Defensive metrics often fluctuate, but he also notched a 4.8 walk percentage at the plate, which doesn't fit the Mets' M.O. Having shown little willingness to commit to long-term contracts, the Mets instead landed Alejandro De Aza on a one-year deal.

The signing, meanwhile, creates a crowded outfield in Colorado. Parra joins Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, and Corey Dickerson in a group of four lefty bats vying for three spots. Expect a trade to clear room for the new signing. According to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, the Rockies are immersed in "ongoing trade talks" with the Orioles after signing Parra.

This is probably where some Mets fans start clamoring for Gonzalez again. However, they haven't been recently linked to him or any other Rockies outfielder.