Derek Norris has gone from starter to backup, and now apparently he will be looking for a new home. The Washington Nationals have officially placed the catcher on waivers.
Derek Norris will soon be playing baseball for another team. The Washington Nationals have decided to place their backup catcher on waivers effectively ending his second stint with the club, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Norris was originally drafted by the Nationals in 2007 but was sent to Oakland in the deal that landed the Nats Gio Gonzalez. This marks the second time that Norris has been with the Washington franchise, but both stints will end without playing a single game at Nationals Park as a member of the home team.
Now being placed on waivers doesn’t necessarily mean that a player is moving on. If no team claims Norris then he could be sent back to the minors, but Heyman is also reporting that the Nationals will release him if that were to happen.
Releasing him now would only result in a $700k penalty. He was set to make a modest $4.4 million for the 2017 season.
This is not as surprising of a development with the addition of former Orioles backstop Matt Wieters, but Norris was still set to make the major league roster as a backup.
However, somebody had to be the odd man out as there just wasn’t enough space to keep Wieters, Norris and the Nationals backup catcher last season, Jose Lobaton.
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There was speculation that Norris could be involved in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for closer David Robertson. This would fill needs for both teams. It’s now clear that much of that was overblown.
It’s been quite an offseason in regards to Washington’s catching situation. Wilson Ramos tore his ACL right before the playoffs and decided to go to the Tampa Bay Rays on a modest two-year deal.
This led to the Nationals acquiring Norris from the San Diego Padres to fill that starting spot. But, in the end general manager Mike Rizzo was more fond of another beltway player in Wieters.
Norris should not have a problem finding somewhere to play. He was far from great for the Padres in 2016, but he did provide some value. The 28 year-old did tie his career-high 14 with home runs, even though much of that was overshadowed by a brutal .186 batting average.
It will take a couple of days to see if any team decides to claim him. Regardless, Norris will be on the move for a second time this winter.
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