Orioles acquire Bud Norris from the Astros

Baltimore will send back two prospects and a sandwich pick in return for Norris.

Jul 31, 2013, 7:46 PM UTC

Bob Levey

The Baltimore Orioles have acquired right-handed starter Bud Norris from the Houston Astros for Triple-A outfielder L.J. Hoes and another player, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Dan Connelly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the other player headed to Houston is 19-year-old left-hander Josh Hader. The Astros are also receiving a competitive balance pick (i.e. sandwich pick) for the 2014 Draft from the O’s.

Things looked a little dicey for Norris for a while, as less than an hour remained until the deadline and he was still sitting in Houston. Many expected the right-hander to be moved Tuesday night after he was scratched from his start, but nothing came to fruition until Wednesday afternoon.

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Talks accelerated in the last hour of the deadline, with the Pirates, Orioles, and D'Backs all showing interest. With about 40 minutes to go until the clock ran out, his chances of being dealt were "up to 75 percent," per to Jayson Stark of ESPN.

While Stark and Rosenthal’s sources seemed optimistic about a deal getting done, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was hearing something a little different. Heyman reported that the Orioles were only “kinda” in on Norris, while the D’Backs were a “distant maybe.” Apparently “kinda” means most definitely.

Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle reported earlier Wednesday morning that the Astros had standing offers on the table from a number of clubs, but that Houston’s front office was hoping for one of the teams to up its “pretty soft” offer at the last minute. It’s unclear at the moment whether the O’s upped their offer or not.

Norris, 28, is no one’s idea of a top-of-the-rotation starter, but he has shown an ability to eat innings and consistently posts an earned-run average around 4.50. He is in just his first year of arbitration, so Baltimore will get at least two more years of team control beyond this season. The right-hander owns a 3.93 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of about two-to-one in 126 innings this year.

Hoes, 23, is batting .304/.406/.403 with three home runs in 99 games in his second go-round in the International League (Triple-A). Hader, a late-round pick in 2012, owns a 2.65 earned-run average in 85 innings at Single-A this year.