The Braves traded veteran pitcher Bud Norris to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday as the main piece in a deal for two pitching pitching prospects, left-hander Phil Pfeifer and Caleb Dirks.
The Braves also sent minor league outfielder Dian Toscano, a player to be named later and about $1 million to the Dodgers in the trade.
Norris was 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 games (10 starts) for the Braves, including a 2.15 ERA in five starts since returning to the rotation after losing his starting spot at the end of April. He had 29 strikeouts and eight walks in 29 1/3 innings in his past five starts.
Norris signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Braves last winter and was owed about $1.3 million for the remainder of the season.
“I hate to see Bud go,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s done a great job here. I thanked him for everything that he brought to us. A few weeks ago when he took that start in L.A. when Folty (Mike Foltynewicz) went down — he’s been really good since then. The Dodgers are getting a hot pitcher. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Dirks, 23, was a 15th-round pick by the Braves in 2014 and spent parts of two seasons in the Braves organization before he was traded to the Dodgers in July 2015 in a deal that gave the Brave extra room in their international draft signing-bonus pool so they could sign a couple of young players who otherwise would’ve signed with other teams.
Dirks has continued his impressive development and had a 1.44 ERA in 28 relief appearances in Double-A this season, with 35 strikeouts and seven walks in 31 1/3 innings.
Pfeifer, 23, was a third-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2015 — where he played with Braves top prospect Dansby Swanson — and had a 2.67 ERA in 17 relief appearances this season for two Dodgers Single-A affiliates, with 42 strikeouts and 18 walks in 30 1/3 innings.
“We’re excited about both (pitchers) we got back,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “We didn’t want to trade Caleb Dirks last year. He was traded for a foreign bonus-pool slot…. We had some players that we had signed and if we didn’t make that trade they would’ve signed with other teams. So we had to give away somebody that we really liked, and we’re very happy to get him back in the Braves organization.”
The Braves had received interest from several teams in Norris.
“For us getting two young players who aren’t far away, that our scouts like, who’ve put up really good numbers” was an offer too good to turn down, Coppolella said. “They’re both guys who we could see soon.”
Toscano, 27, signed a four-year, $6 million contract with the Braves in December 2014, but the Cuban defector was on the restricted list in 2015 and and not paid for that season. He was hitting just .226 with five extra-base hits (no homers) and a .582 OPS in 58 games at Double-A Mississippi this season and had 53 strikeouts in 177 at-bats.
“It wasn’t a fit for us,” Coppolella said. “We didn’t see a bright future for the Braves with him. So to be able to include him in the deal and get the financial flexibility that comes along with that inclusion, is a positive.”
The Braves paid roughly $2 million of the Toscano contract including the signing bonus.
