The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday that they have acquired starting pitcher Bud Norris along with outfielder Dian Toscano, “a player to be named later and cash considerations” from the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitchers Philip Pfeifer and Caleb Dirks.
Norris, who was in his first year with the Braves, is 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 appearances this season.
The deal comes just hours after the Dodgers placed ace Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day disabled list because of a lower-back issue, per ESPN.com.
It’s just the latest injury to hit the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which was already dealing with an Alex Wood triceps injury that landed him on the 60-day DL. L.A. has also been without Hyun-Jin Ryu for the past two seasons because of a shoulder issue.
The Dodgers have already had nine different pitchers start through the first 81 games of the season, and without the 11-2 Kershaw, the starting rotation has been nothing more than mediocre, per ESPN Stats & Info:
While Norris isn’t a top-end starter, he can eat up innings and add some depth to Los Angeles’ rotation.
In five of his first seven major league seasons, Norris compiled a losing record and never posted an ERA better than 3.65. In fact, he put up a career-worst 6.72 ERA last season with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres.
That being said, Norris has been pitching well lately, per Fox Sports 1’s C.J. Nitkowski:
Arriving with Norris is Dian Toscano, a light-hitting outfielder who’s batting .226 in Double-A this season.
In Dirks, the Braves are getting the Dodgers’ 30th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. The reliever was 3-2 with a 1.44 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 31.1 innings while playing in Double-A with the Tulsa Drillers. Pfeifer did not make MLB.com’s top-30 list, but he was 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in Single-A ball.
This is the kind of deal the Dodgers needed to keep their healthy arms fresh as the dog days of summer approach. For the Braves, getting anything for Norris was a positive as they continue to try to collect prospects and pieces in an attempt to rebuild.
Minor league stats courtesy of MiLB.com. Major league stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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