Milwaukee Brewers give a miss to pitcher Manny Parra - MLB News
The left-handed pitcher Manny Parra has become a free agent after he was non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers, ending their more than a decade old association with the player. He becomes one of five relievers that were non-tendered by the Milwaukee ball
club.
The club tendered agreements of four arbitration eligible players including outfielder Carlos Gomez, starting pitchers Chris Narveson, Marco Estrada and reliever John Axford. This is first time for Narveson, Estrada and Axford to be arbitration eligible.
For Gomez, it’s the fourth and final time.
The 30-year-old Manny had his Major League debut in 2007 for the Brewers, the only team he has thus far played for in the Major League. Parra had taken the role of a relief pitcher in 2011 but could not take any part in the season due to an injury. In 2012,
he made his career high 62 appearances. He started the season well but some bad shows in the latter part of the season meant that he ended up with a 5.06 ERA.
The pitcher from Sacramento, California has not lived up to his potential so far in the Major League. He has posted a 5.12 ERA during his career and has a 26-33 losing record in 172 games, including 74 as a starting pitcher.
Doug Melvin, the general manager for the Brewers, suggested that change is sometimes a good thing. He believed that Manny was given ample opportunities and it was a time to part ways with the pitcher.
"From our standpoint, it was time to move on and see if we can turn the page and find someone else. We have Manny the opportunity here, and he was appreciative of it. There are times you just have to move on," Doug said.
Melvin also suggested that Parra at times may have over tried instead of keeping things simple, particularly in the bullpen where it is best not to experiment. He also said that the talks with the four arbitration eligible players are in the early phase
and a final decision is likely in January.
Parra himself has an eagerness to start a fresh. He thanked the Brewers for the opportunity for allowing him to be a part of the ball club for such a long time. "I'm excited, because I feel like there's been some baggage that is tough to move on from," he
said. "Being a starter -- a failed starter, in my opinion -- I feel like no matter what I did, I was always being compared to what kind of a starter I was."
Manny also said that he will consider himself a late bloomer and continue to work hard. He saw being positive about the whole thing as the way forward. This probably will not be a bad idea as it will allow him to work hard and make his way back into the
big leagues.
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