AUGUST 8: The Orioles have announced that they’ve released Norris. They’ll therefore be on the hook for most or all of the remainder of his $8.8MM 2015 salary. He is now free to sign elsewhere.
JULY 31: The Orioles announced that they have designated right-hander Bud Norris for assignment in order to clear space on the 40-man and 25-man rosters for newly acquired outfielder Gerardo Parra.
Norris came to the Orioles two years ago to the date in a deadline deal that sent Josh Hader and L.J. Hoes to Houston. After delivering a season and a half of solid results for Baltimore, the 30-year-old has taken an alarming step backwards in 2015. Norris has a 7.05 ERA on the season to go along with diminished strikeout (6.8 K/9) and walk (3.4 BB/9) rates. Norris has always been a bit homer prone, but the 14 homers he’s served up in just 66 1/3 innings this season are particularly troublesome.
Norris is slated to hit the open market this winter as a six-year free agent, so the timing of his struggles was unfortunate. He’s earning $8.8MM this year, making him a lock to clear waivers. He’ll have the option to reject an outright assignment without forfeiting the remainder of his salary as a player with five-plus years of service time, and the Orioles could conceivably also ask for his consent to option him to Triple-A (another right that is afforded to five-plus players).
Having a wretched year, but I would be shocked if he goes through waivers unclaimed. Good bullpen piece with a decent heater and K/9 numbers. He’s been unlucky this year, it appears to me
With his salary and the year he’s having, you’d really be shocked if someone DIDN’T pick him up?
Absolutely. He has great ability to miss bats. Which is key for the stretch run. If I were the GM of a competitor with a bad pen like the Blue Jays, I’d try to work a trade where the O’s eat some cash and stick him in Middle Relief where I think he could shine
He’s not a bullpen arm. He is a starter who got demoted to there because he was ineffective. And, even at that, he hasn’t been effective in the pen either. He’s just not throwing with any command and getting hit hard for it. Giving up lots of HRs.
He won’t get claimed. That’s a lot of $ for a SP having a down year, knocked into the bullpen.AT the very least, it’s a decent gamble to make to bet he will squeak by this time of year and stay in the org.
If you follow the Orioles you would know that bad luck has nothing to do with it. We liked Bud but he’s simply not been affective.
thank god
bye felicia.
“Unlucky”? He has the best defense in the majors behind him, and gives up hard hit balls majority of the time. He is having a horrible year and it is about time he is gone.
He will go to the Yankees, along with cash, for a lower level prospect.
He will turn it around. Someone will definitely pick him up.
He’ll be making a lot of money pitching in AAA once he clears waivers. Pretty shocking how much a player can change in a year.
Bud’s been struggling since February. Getting lit up last night and placing the game firmly out of reach was the last straw for the management.
Hope he gets another opportunity. He’s got great stuff if he can find his release point again.
MLB execs and scouts have been saying for years the Norris is a reliever. He’s been a started mostly because he’s on teams that needed starting pitching. He will be much better if he can just pitch an inning or two.
Someone will sign him. When he get healthy he will be a successful role player.
It’s really hard to be an Orioles fan. I was hoping they would try to sell some of their upcoming FAs.
Agree with you. They don’t have the talent to make a deep run. Hard to imagine they are going to make qualifying offers to 3-4 of their FA’s so they are just going to walk. Not sure why they even bothered with the Parra rental – just wasting another young pitcher.
Why would you find it hard to believe the O’s would make qualifying offers to Davis, Wieters and Chen? Every QO ever offered has been rejected and this year’s batch of players won’t be any different.
Yeah…I certainly don’t see many viable free agents taking a 15m or whatever QO.
I could certainly see Wieters accepting the qualifying offer and trying to build value for a run at free agency in 2017.. He doesn’t have much of a chance at landing a major contract with his play so far this season.. Plus, with the QO estimated to be around $16m, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a few players finally accepting it. I don’t see Chen or Wieters getting a contract with a better AAV better than that. Plus, with what we have seen the past couple of years with Santana, Drew, Cruz and Morales players might be a bit more hesitant to turn them down.. Someone is going to eventually accept it and mess up their teams plans for the off season..
Certainly is possible…especially if Wieters really likes Baltimore and their chances in 2016.
And now it’s official, the Astros officially won the Bud Norris trade. Derek Fisher, L.J. Hoes, and Josh Hader (since traded in the Carlos Gomez Milwaukee trade yesterday) for Norris. That’s a win any day – if you’re an Astros fan like me.
I know folks in Houston are happy the club is going to be above .500 for the first time since Nolan Ryan was pitching but that isn’t a fair statement.
As I recall, Norris was instrumental in getting the Orioles the the post-season the last couple of seasons since the trade. He has had a bad year, but last year he was a solid starter for the Orioles. Of the Astros’ products out of the trade only one, LJ Hoes, has seen MLB time and I guess his 4 home runs over the past three seasons have helped. Otherwise the two remaining were just development prospects. Norris has been a solid starter over the past several seasons for the Birds.
Believe or not, Houston hasn’t made the post-season yet and they haven’t won the World Series yet either…well ever. So I doubt you can get all fanboy on us and declare this a victory for the Astros. Norris has been a good piece for Baltimore; a change of scenery might be good for him too.
I’m guessing you’re speaking about their .500 record off hand…because the Astros best teams have come since Ryan retired with Biggio and Bagwell including that 2005 world series appearance
Way to crush a guy.. Took every bit of wind out of his sails..
I’m not always sure how to take comments. It’s harder to perceive than a normal voice conversation. Not knowing people… I don’t know if they actually DO know, or are just speaking hyperbolically. Either way…I prefer civil conversation where people can actually learn from each other. I don’t profess to be right…I was DEAD wrong about the Canadian exchange rate on here the other day. I just figure we can toss our 2 cents in the conversation and someone can add to them and help us round out a thought.
I agree with GRob78. Declaring the Astros winners in the Bud Norris trade seems biased. Baltimore got a 15 game winner for what is probably a LOOGY (Hader) and a 4th outfielder/DH (Fisher). From the Astro’s perspective I see that as an even trade at best. I just don’t see Fisher as a star unless he can get the Ks down. The only plus for Hoston is that Hader helped get Gomez.
Being able to move Hader to get Gomez was a nice move for Houston in theory. The Gomez medicals are a concern. I have a feeling Houston overpaid. They certainly gave more than the Mets were offering. That’s a whole different subject.
For those who are hoping that their team signs Bud Norris: he has a reputation for being difficult to deal with.
Has he had TJ? Atlanta will take him if so.
8.8M to go home early from work. It’s a crazy world we live in
maybe the dodgers will pick him up…wouldn’t hurt the team….