Former Padres Reliever Bud Norris Signs with Atlanta Braves

A player’s value can change in a moments notice. Just ask Bud Norris. After a 2014 season with the Baltimore Orioles where he won 15 games, he was sent packing to the San Diego Padres in 2015 after he managed to allow almost as many runs as innings pitched in 11 early starts for the Orioles. For the Padres he wasn’t much better in 20 relief appearances. Now he has signed a one year contract for $2.5M with the Atlanta Braves where he looks to get his career back on track as a starting pitcher.

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In 2015 Norris finished out a contract and made $8.8MM on the season. He ended up with a combined 3-11 record and ERA over 7. For the Braves he joins a team that isn’t expected to be very good. They have completely depleted the team (except Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran) that made the playoffs as recently as 2013, and even those two building blocks are reportedly on the trading block.

Said new Braves General Manager John Coppolella:“We feel that he will be a valuable part of our starting rotation in 2016,”.

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Norris debuted with the Astros in 2009. He has always fit the mold of number 3 or 4 starting pitcher. Never truly exceptional but as recent history shows never good enough to make him truly invaluable for a team. Whether his coming to the Padres was a try out of sorts or not, apparently the Padres didn’t try too hard to keep him if $2.5M did the trick. He did seem to improve with the Padres, upping his K9 ratio from 6.8 with Baltimore to 11.3 with the Padres. He also only allowed 1 home run compared to 14 in his 66 innings with the Orioles.

The Padres bullpen and rotation is still a mystery at this point past the front three trio of James Shields, Tyson Ross, and Andrew Cashner. Hopefully that rotation starts to get filled out with more options sooner rather than later.