Gerardo Parra to Orioles for Zach Davies: Latest Trade Details and Reaction

In an effort to remain in the AL East and wild-card race, the Baltimore Orioles swung a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of Friday's non-waiver trade deadline for outfielder Gerardo Parra.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com was the first to report the transaction, and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun added that the O's sent 22-year-old pitching prospect Zach Davies the other way. The Brewers announced the deal later in the day. 

Parra has been one of the few bright spots for the Brew Crew this season as the 28-year-old veteran entered Friday hitting .328 with nine home runs, 31 RBI and nine stolen bases.

The Venezuelan outfielder has been especially dominant over the past month of play, according to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com:

Despite being a solid winner and two-time Gold Glove Award winner, Parra is no stranger to being moved at the deadline, per MLB.com's Adam McCalvy:

Although Baltimore is six games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and two games out of the final wild-card spot, general manager Dan Duquette recently suggested he would make moves to put his team in position to reach the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun:

"

There's a lot of baseball to be played and there’s a lot of teams in the hunt. When you're a few games off the pace and you have a team that jells or you have a couple of additions that you make to your ball club, and now you're winning the close games, you can turn your season around. So, we're still in there. We're still competing.

"

While Parra figures to slot nicely into left field for David Lough, Matthew Pouliot of Rotoworld questions the Orioles' decision-making with regard to their outfield this season:

Parra may not be an All-Star player, but this move certainly signals that the O's are going for it since Davies is a solid prospect who has a 2.84 ERA at Triple-A Norfolk this season.

The deal will be worth it if Baltimore manages to sneak into the playoffs, but if it is left on the outside looking in, then this could be a trade the Orioles look back on with derision. 

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