Baltimore Orioles Designate Bud Norris For Assignment

Dan Duquette let it know that the Baltimore Orioles were looking to be buyers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Many questioned if that was the proper move to make after falling seven games back of the first-place New York Yankees and five games back from the final wild card spot.

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The Orioles have now won five of their last six and find themselves right in the thick of things in the American League. Duquette was sitting back watching the Blue Jays make two big trades to acquire Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. The Yankees went for Dustin Ackley. Now, the Orioles have made their move with the trade for former Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Gerardo Parra.

Parra is the corner outfielder the Orioles been looking for that will consistently man one of the corner outfield spots. However, for every addition there is a subtraction, and for the Orioles, they decided to cut ties with pitcher Bud Norris when they designated him for assignment today.

The Orioles have 10 days to trade or release Norris, who agreed to a one-year, $8.8 million arbitration contract this offseason. He’ll be a free agent after the season.

Norris lost his rotation spot earlier this month after starting the season 2-7 with a 6.79 ERA. He was sent to the bullpen for the first time in his big league career and the numbers were even worse. He posted an 8.44 ERA over 10 2/3 relief innings. The most troubling stat was the fact that he has given up 14 home runs in just 66 1/3 innings this season.

Norris pitched just last night and his relief performance was not a good one to end his Orioles’ career. He was charged with four runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings of relief in the 9-8 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

The O’s were hopeful to find a trade partner for Norris in recent weeks, but that was unsuccessful. They technically still could by today’s 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline, but that window is shrinking quickly.

It is a hard fall for Norris who was a significant piece in the rotation last season. Norris was 15-8 with a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts a year ago and was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the ALDS win at Detroit, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the 2-1 victory.

It’s a reminder of how quickly a year can go from good to bad and vice versa. Norris was nearly untouchable until this season. Last season, it was Ubaldo Jimenez that was terrible and he’s turned it around this year. Their contractual obligations are why one survived and the other did not. Jimenez was in the first year of his deal. Norris was a few months away from leaving anyways likely. That’s just a part of the game.

The move to the bullpen was in part of Norris’ shaky performances, but also the emergence of Kevin Gausman, which made it tough for the Orioles to stay with six starting pitchers. Eventually, Buck Showalter decided to go with his young phenom over the pending free agent.

“It was always six starters for five spots,” Norris said in a phone interview with Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. “Gausman is a good pitcher and deserves to be here every day.”

It is easy to get caught up in the action and forget that these are people too. Norris was vested in the community with charitable organizations and active on Twitter with fans as well. I have personally seen him at local bars and restaurants and he was always approachable which is not always the case for professional athletes. He showed the type of man he is by not attacking the organization that just sent him packing, but wishing them the best as the Orioles continue their playoff push.

“I was looking way too much into distractions this year, and they were eating at me,” Norris said. “It’s probably best for me right now and best for the team. The 2014 season was a magic ride and now they’re trying ot get back to the postseason and do it again. I wish my teammates the best.”

Personally, I’m surprised it was Norris who got the ax instead of Chris Parmelee or any of the other outfielders on the roster. Norris showed us last season that he has the tools to make it in the Majors. Parmelee has done little in his stint in Baltimore. Steve Pearce was fantastic last season, but has not shown this season that he is capable of an everyday role. David Lough has never been the player that the Orioles had hoped for that could get on base and steal bags. For whatever reason, it is Norris on his way out.

While the move to release Bud Norris makes sense for the Orioles, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. We just don’t want you beating Baltimore whenever that opportunity comes about.

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