The Houston Astros are doing about as well as most talking heads around the MLB predicted. As of now the Astros stand at 29-48, sitting in last place of their new division, the AL West.
Any person who claims to be a fan of the Astros knew that we would not be finishing the 2013 campaign at or anywhere near .500. We have the lowest payroll in all of baseball (just under 30 million dollars), and outside of Jose Altuve and Bud Norris, our roster is full of has beens and young ball players. Under owner Jim Crane, the Houston Astros are trying to rebuild their franchise from the ground up, which is why trading Norris is an intelligent and ultimately necessary move.
I am not going to go as far as saying Bud is an asshole, who slandered his team and demanded to be traded, as some better known sportswriters have stated. Quite the opposite, Norris is one of my favorite players on the ‘Stros, because he is a skilled pitcher, our ace, which is why he is the highest paid player on the club. I do not understand everything Crane and co. is attempting to do with this team, but Norris could be traded for some players of worth, who would benefit us in the long term.
Most of our talent is in the minors playing for the RedHawks, Hooks, Jethawks, and the Bandits, as we are trying to rebuild.
Norris is already 28 years old and, in my opinion does not ensure anything for future seasons. This season he is pitching decently (3.60 ERA) and would be a good 3 or 4 pitchers for contenders around the MLB.
Norris wants to play for a contender, obviously, and he understands the Astros will not be making the playoffs the next few seasons. Having said that, he still seems dedicated to win games for Houston, and will respond to the call of duty every 5th game;
"I want to go out there and keep pitching for the last month [prior to the Deadline] and see what happens. If the Trade Deadline is here and I'm still in an Astros uniform, I'll be happy with that. I understand something could happen, but at the end of the day, my focus right now is still in Houston, and that's where it's going to stay."
Norris is a pitcher the average Joe can root for, I would be sad to see him go but other team’s attraction to him is too much to ignore. As teams attempt to solidify a spot in October, they will try to add arms that can pitch against good teams and make it into the 7th inning.
Bud fits that description and I doubt that our ace will be an Astro come August.
