The Reds announced Wednesday that they’ve signed left-handed reliever Daniel Norris to a minor league contract and invited him to big league camp. The Excel Sports client will vie for a job in the Cincinnati bullpen this spring.
Norris, 29, split the 2021-22 seasons between the Tigers, Brewers and Cubs, struggling to a combined 5.68 ERA through 115 2/3 innings across the three clubs. It’s a far cry from his excellent showing with the Tigers during the shortened 2020 campaign, when he pitched to a 3.25 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate against a 6% walk rate through 27 2/3 frames.
Once regarded as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Norris was the headline piece in the 2015 trade that also sent Matthew Boyd and Jairo Labourt from the Blue Jays to the Tigers in return for then-ace David Price. Norris showed promise at varying points with Detroit — 3.55 ERA in 129 1/3 innings from 2015-16 — but was also slowed by health troubles, most notably including a frightening bout with thyroid cancer.
All told, Norris carries a 4.71 ERA in 569 2/3 innings at the MLB level. He’s punched out 21.6% of his opponents overall but has piled up strikeouts at an above-average 24.8% clip over the past three seasons. Conversely, he has a solid 8.6% walk rate in his career but has seen that mark creep up to 10.7% over the past three years.
The Cincinnati bullpen recently lost one of its most talented relievers, Tejay Antone, for as much as half the season following a flexor strain that required a platelet-rich plasma injection. Alexis Diaz is locked in as the closer, while Lucas Sims and Buck Farmer are virtual locks in the setup corps. At the moment, Reiver Sanmartin is the lone lefty reliever on the 40-man roster, but he’s coming off 57 innings with a 6.32 ERA, a poor 18.4% strikeout rate and a bloated 11.3% walk rate. Sanmartin was solid against lefties but walked nearly as many righties (12.1%) as he struck out (12.9%) while yielding a jarring .324/.404/.529 slash against them.
Norris will join Alex Young as one of two veteran non-roster lefties vying for a spot in manager David Bell’s bullpen, so he ought to have a decent chance at winning a job if he pitches well this spring.
Looks like over 16 mill in career earnings….let the van comments begin…..
As long as said van isn’t down by the river.
As long as his van isn’t down by the river.
You beat me to it lol.
He lives in a van down by the river?
Reds could sign Chuck Norris and still finish last in the league.
Chuck lost his fastball a long time ago.
Norris can’t chuck.
There, I fixed your mistake.
In that ballpark, he would be a disaster. But let’s sign one of the dregs of the barrel at the last minute rather than one of the few good options left because they didn’t address it a long time ago like they should have.
Team will be bad even with a good bullpen. No reason for a bad team to sign a bunch or bullpen arms.
If you knew the team and how many leads were blown, you’d know there was, rather than just making general statements based on a one line stat.
There’s no reason for a non-contending team to spend money on the bullpen.
They’ll keep being non-contending with non-moves to improve. Besides, fans are paying money to watch a major league product. Right now I say allegedly a major league product.
@This one belongs to the Reds:
Let’s just agree to disagree: I consider Norris to be one of the better bullpen minor-league signings. He has been quite effective not too long ago and his peripherals are not too bad. Which other LHP reliever, who is available via a minor-league contract, would not be one of “the dregs of the barrel” for you?
Gruß,
BSHH
Will Smith for one.
I hope you are right.
Matt Moore and Brad Hand still out there too.
Do you honestly believe that Smith, Moore or Hand will sign a minor-league deal? Of course, I would take either of them over Norris, but that would require a fundamentally different commitment.
Gruß,
BSHH
They need major league players, not minor leaguers. They shouldn’t be handing out minor league deals to the guys you mentioned but on the other hand they don’t have a contract and people are reporting to camps.
They have a projected 82 million payroll. They can add a bit.
Yeah, they CAN add a bit, by why would they? It’s like owning a 15 year old car and deciding to buy new rims for it. You can afford it, but why would you when you expect to have a new car in a couple of years?
To entertain their fans, maybe?
Sounds like you are their excuse police today.
I will be entertained when they win a World Series title, not by making the playoffs and losing two games without scoring a run.
Maybe you’re “entertained” with a 75 or 80 win season. I’m not if it’s just one mediocre season out of a decade of mediocrity.
I want a championship. Adding 2-3 quality players that will be gone when their elite prospects make the bigs will not move the championship needle.
If a winning culture is not established early, then that World Series Championship is less likely to happen. This is why 1990 happened. Remember them?
This is why the Cardinals are winning more often than not. Maybe not so many World Series because they can’t play in the big boy salary sandbox but they are in the playoffs fairly consistently.
Your memory of the 90 team is severely flawed. The youngsters came first and then the Reds added talent around them.
That is presumably exactly what the Reds are doing now
You pretty much made my point. Where have they added talent around them?
They added exactly one established major leaguer to the starting lineup. ONE.
I did like the Casali signing too. Even though he is a backup (for now at least with Stephenson’s injury history) he works well with a pitching staff which can’t hurt the young starters.
Dude, you just like to argue. I didn’t make any point for you. They haven’t added talent around the youngsters, because the youngsters haven’t made it up from the minors yet.
The time to be adding talent is when or after EDLC, Marte, Arroyo et al make it to the bigs. The reds top four prospects, all play shortstop or third base. Until they establish their positions, as well as Steer, CES, and India, you don’t know what positions are left to be filled. And the bullpen is the last thing you address in a rebuild.
Ta ta for now.
I prefer planning than waiting until the last minute and hoping/praying to outbid the large markets for what you need. That has been the team’s problem for going on 30 years now.
Thought this was a discussion area. Guess I was wrong.
My mistake.
Norris’ junk ball repertoire can be effective on the right staff. Some pluses: Dan is one of the nicest people in the game and is great for the clubhouse and working in the community.
Wish him the best…
If he keeps the ball down in that ballpark and throws ground balls, he could be great there.
If he gets the ball up…heaven help him.
He’d better high-tail that van all the way to Goodyear, AZ. Great guy and wish him a career revival!
Uff, these guys don’t know the team. Sanmartin stunk as a starter in 23, but was moved to the pen and pitched excellent. For whatever reason I can’t pull up the splits now, but a low 3.something ERA over 35 – 40 innings.
Or I don’t, 22, not 23
A little research or knowledge goes a long way.
You always see with the general writers how much they really did, especially in the Twitter era.
I guess what can you truly expect. I look at this site for transactions, not insight.
Well I say that about MLB network, the extremely slow paying network and others as well.
Steve Adams said essentially the same thing about Sanmartin when the reds signed Law two weeks ago and rather than do any actual journalism wants to just double down on his lazy take apparently
3.32 era over 40.2 innings as a reliever last season
A lousy reliever for a lousy bullpen.
He can be good again..he had some real good outings with the cubs..but a lot where he got clobbered. Wish him the best.
Trash that is all.