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James Norwood

Yankees Sign James Norwood To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed right-hander James Norwood to a minor league deal, according to Jack Curry of YES Network. Norwood will presumably receive an invite to major league Spring Training, though no official announcement has been made.

Norwood, 29 later this month, has seen limited big league action in each of the past five seasons. Spending time with the Cubs, Padres and Phillies, he’s tallied a combined 44 1/3 innings over those seasons with a 5.48 ERA. In 2022, he threw 17 1/3 frames with an ERA of 8.31, though likely deserved better. His 25.9% strikeout rate was strong and his 10.6% walk rate high but within range of average. A .423 batting average on balls in play and 53% strand rate surely added some extra earned runs to his ledger.

It was a fairly similar story in Triple-A, with the righty posting a 4.87 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. He struck out 27.3% of batters faced but was undone by a 12.5% walk rate, .358 BABIP and 56.7% strand rate.

Norwood will provide the Yanks with an experienced depth option and also a local connection. As noted by Curry, he went to All Hallows High School in the Bronx, just a couple of blocks away from Yankee Stadium. Norwood is out of options and will have to hang onto a roster spot if he earns one, or else be designated for assignment.

Red Sox Promote Jeter Downs, Designate James Norwood

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The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve recalled infield prospect Jeter Downs from Triple-A Worcester and designated right-hander James Norwood for assignment.

It’ll be the Major League debut for Downs whenever he first steps onto the field for a game. Acquired alongside Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong in the trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, Downs was once widely ranked among the sport’s 100 best prospects but has seen his stock tumble following a pair of poor showings in Triple-A. In 53 games so far with the WooSox, the 23-year-old Downs is hitting just .180/.297/.397 with a 31.1% strikeout rate in 222 plate appearances. That actually represents a modest improvement over his struggles in a larger sample during the 2021 campaign. Overall, he’s now tallied 627 Triple-A plate appearances with just a .187/.281/.355 slash to show for it.

Those struggles notwithstanding, Downs will get his first big league look and give the Sox some extra infield depth at a time when both Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez are on the injured list. Major League teams who’d been carrying 14 pitchers also need to cut their pitching staff back to 13 beginning today, and Downs was already on the 40-man roster, making him an easy name to recall. They’ll need a 40-man spot once Arroyo is cleared to return from the Covid-related injured list anyhow, so designating Norwood and briefly giving Downs a taste of the Majors is a sensible — albeit likely short-term — route to take for the time being.

Norwood, acquired from the Phillies for cash over the weekend, never appeared in a game with the Sox before what is now his third DFA in the past three months. The 28-year-old spent the bulk of Spring Training with the Padres but was designated for assignment late in camp and subsequently traded to Philadelphia for minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo. Norwood showed big velocity, an ability to miss bats and a knack for keeping the ball in the park during his 17 1/3 innings with the Phils. However, he also walked too many hitters, struggled to strand runners (both inherited and those he allowed to reach base), and generally yielded too much hard contact.

In those 17 1/3 frames with Philly, Norwood was tagged for an 8.31 ERA, causing his career mark through 44 1/3 innings to balloon to 5.48. It’s certainly possible that Norwood’s 96.8 mph average fastball and splitter that comes with a 42.7% whiff rate will get him a look from another team, be it via waivers or another small trade. He’s out of minor league options, though, so any interested club will need to carry him on the 40-man roster. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Norwood, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

Roster Moves: Reds, Red Sox

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The Reds have placed reliever Alexis Diaz on the 15-day injured list, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Diaz has arguably been the Reds most reliable reliever so far this season, logging 30 innings over 27 appearances with a 2.40 ERA/3.94 FIP. No corresponding roster move has yet been made, but the Reds did make another roster move today…

  • The Reds recalled right-hander Dauri Moreta and optioned TJ Friedl to Triple-A, per the team. Moreta, 25, made 15 appearances but was hit hard to the tune of a 9.88 ERA/9.21 FIP over 13 2/3 innings. He posted better results in Triple-A with a 4.05 ERA in 15 appearances spanning 13 1/3 innings.
  • The Red Sox have officially added James Norwood to the active roster, the team announced. They acquired the right-handed reliever yesterday from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. Kutter Crawford was optioned to Triple-A to create the roster spot. Crawford, 26, has started a pair of games and pitched eight times in relief with a 6.41 ERA/5.17 FIP covering 19 2/3 innings of work.

 

Red Sox Acquire James Norwood From Phillies For Cash Considerations

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The Red Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher James Norwood from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations, the Phillies announced.

The Phillies had previously designated Norwood for assignment, giving them a couple of days to find a taker. He had struggled with the Phillies, but nevertheless saw a fair amount of work. He made 20 appearances and pitched to an unfortunate 8.31 ERA. The other side of the coin is his 3.65 FIP, which suggests there could be a brighter future ahead for Norwood.

The Red Sox will see what they can coax out of Norwood. He has long had tantalizing stuff, but trouble with command. Across his 17 1/3 innings of work so far this season, he struck out 22 batters while walking nine. Those numbers aren’t bad, but he also surrendered 24 hits over that span. If he can get some batted ball luck in his direction, Norwood could find better results in Boston.

Phillies Designate James Norwood For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Monday that right-hander James Norwood has been designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for fellow right-hander Michael Kelly, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phils also reinstated catcher Rafael Marchan from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A.

Acquired from the Padres in an offseason deal that sent minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo to San Diego, Norwood has pitched 17 1/3 innings of relief out of the Philadelphia bullpen but has been tagged for 17 earned runs in that time. The damage hasn’t been confined to one or two poor outings, either, as Norwood has yielded runs in eight of his 20 appearances on the season so far. Overall, he’s yielded 24 hits (two of them homers) and nine walks while punching out 22 batters.

Norwood is out of minor league options — a large reason he was designated by the Padres in the first place — so the Phils couldn’t send him down without first designating him for assignment. They’ll have a week to try to trade him or pass him through outright waivers now. The former seventh-rounder has a decent track record in Triple-A, a fastball that averages just under 97 mph and a splitter that gets him plenty of chases and whiffs. Add in a decent track record in the upper minors, and it’s not out of the question that another bullpen-needy club would want to speculate via waiver claim or perhaps a small trade.

As for the 29-year-old Kelly, he’ll make his big league debut whenever he steps onto the mound for the first time. It’s the culmination of a 11-year baseball odyssey for the 2011 No. 48 overall pick. Originally selected by the Padres, Kelly also spent time with the Orioles, Astros and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League before joining the Phillies as a minor league free agent this winter. He’s pitched to a lackluster 5.00 ERA in 18 innings with the IronPigs so far, but Kelly has also punched out 33.8% of his opponents in that time.

Phillies Announce Five Roster Moves

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The Phillies announced five roster moves in advance of today’s game with the Marlins.  The Phils have selected the contract of right-hander Andrew Bellatti from Triple-A and also reinstated James Norwood from the bereavement list.  Righty Connor Brogdon and left-hander Damon Jones were optioned to Triple-A, while Sam Coonrod was moved to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space for Bellatti.

Coonrod has been dealing with a shoulder strain that initially shut him down at the end of March.  The right-hander tossed only 1 2/3 innings of Spring Training action, so between the injury rehab and then making up for his lost preseason work, it was already expected to be a while before Coonrod made his 2022 debut.

The 60-day IL placement means that Coonrod won’t make it back until mid-June at the earliest, which represents another injury setback for the 29-year-old.  Coonrod missed over two months last season due to forearm tendinitis, and over three weeks of the shortened 2020 season due a lat strain.  That same season also saw Coonrod hit the IL late in the year with another shoulder strain.

Between Coonrod’s injury absence and Brogdon’s demotion, the Phillies find themselves without two of their better relievers from last season.  However, since Brogdon has pitched in three of Philadelphia’s last four games, the move is probably just a way to get a fresher arm into the bullpen than indicative of a long-term stint in Triple-A for the right-hander.  Brogdon had a rough outing last night, allowing two earned runs and two more inherited runners to score over two-thirds of an inning in a 9-6 loss to the Mets.

Bellatti signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in December after being outrighted off the Marlins’ 40-man roster at the end of last season.  After tossing 23 1/3 innings for the Rays in his 2015 rookie season, Bellatti bounced around the minors before finally returning to the majors last year, pitching 3 1/3 innings of relief work out of Miami’s bullpen.  Bellatti has a 3.77 ERA and 24.03% strikeout rate over his 547 career frames in the minor leagues.

Padres Trade James Norwood To Phillies

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The Phillies have acquired right-hander James Norwood from the Padres in exchange for minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo and cash, according to announcements from both teams. San Diego designated Norwood for assignment earlier this week.

Norwood, 28, tossed five scoreless innings of relief for the Friars last season and has 27 total innings of Major League work under his belt dating back to his 2018 debut with the Cubs. He’s logged a 3.67 ERA, albeit with a below-average 18.5% strikeout rate and a bloated 13.1% walk rate.

Norwood has a decent overall track record in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 4.05 ERA in parts of three seasons. He whiffed 37.2% of his opponents in 44 2/3 Triple-A frames this past season, which surely held some appeal to the Phils. Norwood is out of minor league options, meaning he’ll need to either break camp with the Phils or be designated for assignment once again. Given that Philadelphia sent a minor leaguer to the Padres, as opposed to a simple cash transaction or waiver claim, it would seem Norwood has a decent shot of being included in Philadelphia’s Opening Day relief corps.

As for the 20-year-old Pichardo, he’s a Bronx native who joined the Phillies in June 2019 as an undrafted free agent. He spent most of his time at shortstop after signing in ’19 but played more third base in 2021. Pichardo logged just 35 total games across three levels last year and batted .247/.476/.466 with two homers, six doubles, two triples, two steals and a 32-to-28 K/BB ratio in 105 plate appearances.

Padres Claim Kyle Tyler, Designate James Norwood

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The Padres announced that right-hander Kyle Tyler has been claimed off waivers from the Red Sox.  To open up space on San Diego’s roster, righty James Norwood has been designated for assignment.

It has been a whirlwind week for Tyler, who is now playing for his third different organization in the last four days.  Tyler was designated by the Angels on March 19 when the Halos needed a 40-man roster spot for Ryan Tepera, and then after the Red Sox claimed Tyler on Tuesday, they DFA’ed him again on Thursday to claim Ralph Garza from the Twins in another waiver move.

Tyler is now headed back to SoCal, this time in a Padres uniform.  The 25-year-old has worked almost equally as a starter and as a reliever over his 232 1/3 career minor league innings, so Tyler gives the Padres yet another option on a roster that is now quite loaded with rotation depth, even if there are plenty of injury questions.  Tyler has a 3.25 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate, and 7.4% walk rate over 232 1/3 innings as a minor leaguer, and he posted a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 MLB innings last season, in his first taste of big league action.

Norwood has pitched 27 innings spread over 28 games in the last four Major League seasons, with a 3.67 ERA to show for his brief time in The Show.  Norwood has a 13.1% walk rate in that small sample size in the majors, continuing the control problems that have been a thorn in his side for much of his minor league career (in the Cubs and Padres organizations).

On the plus side, Norwood’s strikeout totals have been on the rise over the last few years, and he has an impressive 34.2% strikeout rate over 120 innings at the Triple-A level.  That’s a number that could get another team’s attention on the waiver wire, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Norwood claimed before his DFA period is up.

Padres Reinstate Blake Snell, Drew Pomeranz From 10-Day IL; Place Ryan Weathers On 10-Day IL

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The Padres have reinstated left-handers Blake Snell and Drew Pomeranz from the 10-day injured list, the team announced.  Right-hander James Norwood was optioned to Triple-A, and yesterday San Diego officially placed southpaw Ryan Weathers on the 10-day IL due to a right ankle fracture.

Both Snell and Pomeranz are returning as expected after minimal 10-day IL stints, and Snell (who had gastroentiritis) is lined up to start tonight’s game with the Nationals.  Pomeranz had inflammation in his throwing forearm, though this somewhat ominous injury wasn’t considered particularly serious, as Padres manager Jayce Tingler indicated to reporters at the time of Pomeranz’s placement.

The Padres will welcome all the arms they can get in the wake of multiple pitching injuries, with Weathers representing the latest absence.  On the plus side, Weathers’ ankle issue seems a little less serious than it first appeared when he had to be helped off the field last Sunday, and the left-hander might potentially be able to return before July is over.  Even with Snell back and Weathers perhaps not a long-term concern, San Diego is still expected to focus on adding pitching help prior to the July 30 trade deadline.

Padres Option Ryan Weathers To Triple-A

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11:37AM: The Padres have announced the move, with right-hander James Norwood called up to take Weathers’ spot on the active roster.  San Diego acquired Norwood from the Cubs in an April trade, and Norwood is now set to make his first appearance of the 2021 season and make his Padres debut.

10:42AM: The Padres are sending left-hander Ryan Weathers to Triple-A, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee.  Weathers will be stretched out again as a regular starter in the minors, though his next call-up to the big leagues could be to fill a hole in either the rotation or the bullpen.

The news represents a change of course from just two days ago, when the Padres initially planned to move Weathers to the bullpen.  The rookie had been deployed as both a starter and reliever this season, stepping into the rotation due to injuries to Adrian Morejon and Dinelson Lamet.  However, Lamet’s return from the injured list temporarily gave San Diego a six-man rotation, which the team saw as a way of keeping its starters fresh.

Now, as Acee writes, “Lamet appearing to have reached a point where he can effectively go five or more innings allowed the Padres to prioritize Weathers’ development, as they feel their second-ranked pitching prospect is better served for the long term getting consistent work as a starter.”

It creates a bit of an interesting present vs. future situation for the Padres front office.  While nothing would stop the team from quickly calling Weathers back up to the active roster if necessary, the argument could be made that Weathers is most useful right now as a reliever in the majors, given how San Diego’s bullpen has been shaky over the last month.  The leaky relief corps has been one of the reasons the Padres are only 4-12 in their last 16 games, and the team now sits five games out of first place in the NL West.

With the Giants and Dodgers not showing any signs of slowing down, it leaves the Padres with little margin for error for reaching the postseason, so having Weathers on hand to secure even one or two extra wins could make a huge difference in what might be a tight NL wild card race.  Weathers is still only 21 years old, so it wouldn’t be difficult for the team to stretch him out next spring with an eye towards resuming his career path as a starting pitcher.

That said, being a starter could also ultimately be how Weathers best contributes to the 2021 team, in the event of another rotation injury.  Having Weathers ready to go at Triple-A could be a necessity for the Padres, given their lack of healthy and experienced starting depth in the minors.  Though Weathers has all of 47 1/3 MLB innings to his name, that still makes him the Padres’ top “sixth starter” candidate waiting in the wings.

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