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Bud Norris Will Make San Diego Padres Look Like Geniuses

By Josh Sippie

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The San Diego Padres made a rather under-the-radar move in picking up newly-released starting pitcher Bud Norris. But it will not be under the radar for long.

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It seems like just yesterday I was at Busch Stadium getting ready to see the Houston Astros face off against the St. Louis Cardinals. I was so excited to see one of my favorite pitchers, Roy Oswalt, take to the hill. However, as has always been the case with the Wizard of Os, he was a scratch due to injury and the recently called up Bud Norris was slated to take the hill.

I did not know much about Bud Norris at the time, but seeing him take a no-hitter into the sixth against the division-leading Cardinals was enough to convince me that this guy had special stuff. With a fastball that flirted with the high-90s and an absolutely devastating slider that, when it was on, was unhittable, Bud Norris had the stuff to one day toss a no-hitter. His debut was not the only time he nearly notched a no-hitter.

On my 21st birthday I kicked off the festivities by attending yet another game between the Astros and the Cardinals, this one many years later and this one I was attending so that I could see Bud Norris, who always had electric stuff against the Astros’ division rivals.

Being a sucker for autographs, I managed to get Norris’ attention and after making fun of me for being at a baseball game on my 21st birthday, he went on to toss another gem for the Houston Astros.

He had become the ace of the organization and looked to be a tool for the future.

But then the Astros fell out of contention and after some drama with the front office, Bud Norris was shipped off to Baltimore. Moving to the American League does not sit well with a lot of guys, but after a few months of acclimation, Norris came out in the 2014 season and threw a respectable 3.65 ERA while winning 15 and losing 8. It was the best statistical year of his career.

However, this year was awful, with Norris posting a 7.06 ERA and a 2-9 record. Hence the release.

But the San Diego Padres were there to scoop him up instantly and they will reap the benefits. With the Orioles set to pay off the remainder of Bud Norris’s contract, the Padres essentially have a free starter and it could not come a moment too soon, with James Shields still likely to move.

The San Diego Padres, assuming they will see Shields depart, will still have a really solid rotation in Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Bud Norris. Ian Kennedy can be an adequate pitcher with upside as well. If picking up Norris was a move in preparation to lose James Shields, than the Padres could not have done any better.

All the Padres really need to do is put any sort of offense together that is not just hastily thrown-together all-stars. If they can back up that starting rotation, there is no reason to think that they cannot contend in a usually rather tough division.

At his best, Bud Norris can anchor a National League rotation with high strikeout rates and dominant stuff. At his worst, he is still a very solid middle rotation kind of guy. The Padres do not figure to be in any sort of playoff race this year but they still need to field a team and if Bud Norris found success on an Astros’ team that was starting to fade, he can do the same for the Padres.

Next: Will James Shields be on the Move?

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