Braves agree to one-year deal with veteran arm Bud Norris
The Atlanta Braves' annual "veteran presence" signing for the starting rotation returned on Wednesday afternoon when the team announced the acquisition of 30-year-old free agent Bud Norris.
The veteran right-hander agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million and, according to Braves general manager John Coppolella, will be expected to add leadership to what was one of the youngest rotations in baseball history in 2015.
"We feel that he will be a valuable part of our starting rotation in 2016," Coppolella said in a statement.
Norris will first need to find the form that allowed him to post 1.5 Wins Above Replacement or better every season from 2010 to 2014. Pitching for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres last season, Norris posted a 6.72 ERA in 38 appearances, including 11 starts. His peripheral numbers were much better (5.04 fielding-independent pitching, for instance), but he was still a replacement-level option last season.
If Norris is unable to capture a starting spot, he could also be a bullpen option for a Braves team that desperately needed relief help in 2015.
Where the Norris signing leaves the rest of the rotation remains to be seen. The Braves obviously still have moves to make. Left-hander Mike Minor's future in Atlanta was already up in the air before Wednesday, and now the team has already allocated more resources elsewhere. If Norris does claim a rotation spot, he could steal innings — while making the bold assumption that Shelby Miller, Julio Teheran and Matt Wisler remain in a Braves uniform — from the likes of top youngsters Mike Foltynewicz, Manny Banuelos, Tyrell Jenkins or even new No. 1 prospect Sean Newcomb.
Such signings are part of the Braves' offseason script, though. Norris joins Aaron Harang, Eric Stults, Trevor Cahill, Wandy Rodriguez and Freddy Garcia as under-the-radar veteran additions the team had acquired in hopes that they still had more in the tank. That yielded lackluster results last season, resulting in the rotation's youth movement.
The plan is for Norris, on a major-league deal, to provide much more value in 2016.
