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The Houston Astros are once again selling at this year’s trade deadline.
They are in the middle of rebuilding, and wouldn’t have been buyers even if they were leading the division. Winning in the future is much more important for the Astros than winning more games this year. There’s no doubt that the Astros have a bright future ahead of them, and they have a chance to make it much brighter by the time the year is over.
With the trade deadline approaching, the rumors surrounding the Astros and Bud Norris have been unbelievably quiet.
Earlier today, news came out that the Astros would be asking for two top prospects for Norris, who is by no means an ace. However, he has been extremely reliable for the Astros so far this season. To find why, you’d have to look beyond his losing record to his 3.63 ERA, and the fact that he has traded his strikeouts to become a better, more efficient pitcher.
Norris has made the adjustments to become more of a pitcher and less of a thrower. He has lost a little velocity, but it is nothing to be worried about because he can still throw in the mid 90s. The only difference between this year’s Norris and last year’s is that he is locating his pitches much better and getting more ground balls. He is a better pitcher is now doing this in the hitter-friendly American League.
The Astros are trying to find their perfect suitor, but I think there is already a potential buyer.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the middle of a playoff race and at the moment, they lead the NL West. With the Los Angeles Dodgers surging and pushing for the division lead, the Diamondbacks must make a move to stay in the race, and that move would be trading for Bud Norris.
While Matt Garza of the Chicago Cubs makes the most sense for any contender, the Diamondbacks will look for an asset they can retain, and they won’t find that in Garza.
Norris to the Diamondbacks makes some sense because Arizona has a prospect that the Astros may want: Chris Owings, who continues to mash in the minors and should be in the majors at this point. However, he is blocked because the Diamondbacks already have a shortstop who has been outstanding this season in the form of Didi Gregorius.
The Astros also have a relief pitcher, Jose Veras, who might draw some interest from the Diamondbacks. The Astros could package a deal with Norris and Veras and ultimately get a better package of prospects that revolves around Owings.
