The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired two-time Gold Glove outfielder Gerardo Parra from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers, outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Banda.
Parra provides the Brewers with a left-handed hitting outfielder who excels defensively. The 27-year-old is hitting .259 with six home runs and 30 RBI in 104 games for the Diamondbacks this season.
To make room on the 25-man roster for Parra, the Brewers optioned outfielder Logan Schafer to Triple-A Nashville, while right-hander Tyler Thornburg was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to clear a 40-man roster spot.
"The addition of Parra gives us a veteran player who helps to balance our lineup and also brings Gold Glove defense," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said.
Signed as an international free agent by the Diamondbacks in 2004, Parra made his big-league debut with Arizona in 2009. He hit .290 with five home runs and 60 RBI in 120 games during his rookie season, finishing eighth in the Rookie of the Year voting.
Parra hit .292 with eight home runs and 46 RBI while winning his first Gold Glove as a left fielder in 2011. He took home a Gold Glove as a right fielder following the 2013 season, joining Milwaukee's Carlos Gomez as two of the three National League outfielders honored for their defensive work.
Where Parra exactly fits into the Brewers plans is not known, but he at least will be a significant upgrade over Schafer as the team's fourth outfielder. There's a chance Parra and the right-handed hitting Khris Davis split time in left field, as Parra hits much better against right-handed pitching (286/335/424 in his career vs. 233/296/294 against lefties).
The 38th-overall pick in the 2012 first-year player draft, Haniger is hitting .255 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI for Double-A Huntsville this season. Haniger is currently on the minor-league disabled list with an elbow injury.
Banda, 20, was Milwaukee's 10th-round pick in 2012 out of San Jacinto College. The left-hander is 6-6 with a 3.66 ERA in 20 games and 14 starts for Class-A Wisconsin this season.
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