Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Though the Atlanta Braves have sent scouts to look at every starting pitcher available on the trade market, the one starter they had the most interest in seems to have been Houston Astros starter Bud Norris. That might seem like a crazy idea with names like Jake Peavy out there but Norris is exactly the type of guy the Braves should trade for. Oh, and that interest they had shown in Norris was prior to Tim Hudson’s season-ending injury. Now their interest has spiked quite a bit, especially with the less than stellar outing by Alex Wood.
Like it or not the Braves need someone for the pitching staff. They could go for Peavy but the asking price is very high for him and the Braves don’t usually like to throw good prospects away for a player they likely wouldn’t have for very long. Norris might not be the biggest name but he only was scheduled to make $3 million this season and is also first-year arbitration eligible. The cost would be significantly less for a guy that could still have a huge up-side to his career.
Also Norris is still playing for the organization that drafted him which shows a kind of loyalty that the Braves like to see in their players. His ERA isn’t miniscule at just under 4.00 but he is one that should give the Braves a good chance to win most of the time and shut down opponents from time to time as well. There also seems to be a kind of fire in him that could really come alive down the stretch and in the playoffs. He isn’t a Hudson replacement but the Braves cannot rely on their inexperienced staff to get them through.
They were already planning to send Kris Medlen to the bullpen because of his performance and a good move would give them the flexibility to still do that if they wanted to, or to send Wood back to the ‘pen if he doesn’t improve. Norris is the right man for the job and the costs will be significantly less than the bigger named guys. Go get him Frank Wren.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
