Dodgers acquire Bud Norris in trade with Braves

The Los Angeles and Atlanta Braves are swapping pitchers with Bud Norris the biggest name on the move.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to shore up their starting rotation on Thursday afternoon after placing ace Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day DL earlier in the day.

The Dodgers acquired Bud Norris from the Atlanta Braves for a pair of minor league pitchers to the rebuilding National League East team in return. Headed to Atlanta for Norris are Phil Pfeifer and Caleb Dirks.

With Kershaw experiencing some lower back pain, the Dodgers had to make a move to get a pitcher who can be of service for the few starts Kershaw is expected to miss as the first half winds down. Now, no one is going to replace Kershaw, but Norris will be counted on for quality starts and giving his lineup a chance to win games.

The 31-year-old right-hander was 3-7 with a 4.22 E.R.A. in his first year in Atlanta. The eight-year veteran has previously played with the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and most recently with the San Diego Padres. He has a career record of 59-75 with a 4.33 E.R.A.

The career numbers don’t look great, but Norris has been serviceable in June since returning to the rotation after a stint in the bullpen. Norris has gone 29.1 innings over his last five starts and only allowed seven earned runs.

Norris’ last start with the Braves saw him go seven shutout innings and strike out eight batters, so the Dodgers will certainly be hoping for more of that while he has a spot in the Dodgers rotation. Plus, when Kershaw returns from the DL, the Dodgers will have some flexibility and could put Norris in the bullpen if necessary.

For the Braves, this is just another move as they continue to add young pieces and flip short-term assets for long-term assets.

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