Bud Norris

Let me start by thanking you all. Joey Lucchesi's ownership finally increased to more than 75% of Fantrax leagues, so he will not be included here again. I was getting a little worried that I might have to remind everyone for a third time about how damn good Lucchesi has been and could be for the rest of the season.Nope, not going there again. Instead, there's a fresh new batch of players this week hot out of the oven. Included in the six-pack of waiver wire recommendations below are two rookies, a Colorado arm (gasp!),…

The Cardinals have signed Bud Norris to a one-year deal to add some depth to their bullpen. They have yet to acquire a lights-out proven closer, meaning the team's ninth-inning role needs to be closely monitored.For Norris, he’s become a decent reliever once he began his transition to the bullpen in 2015. As a reliever, his walk rate stayed the same, while his strikeouts jumped from ~8 K/9 to 10 K/9. While the strikeouts increased, he has not seen an improvement in his ERA because he seems more hittable. Last season, he…

The writing was on the wall in San Diego on Saturday night, and once again, the message read loud and clear: ban the freakin' win.Allow me to set the table. It's Game 1 of the Dodgers/Padres doubleheader. Brad Hand slides in for the ninth. He's protecting a 5-3 lead on the back of two masterful innings from Craig Stammen - a tough act to follow indeed. Hand gives up a leadoff double to Rob Segedin and then strikes out O'Koyea Dickson swinging on a power-packed high fastball. That very pitch is a tasty fruit that's driven…

Things to do when you reach 40: rewatch M.A.S.H, enjoy the fact that all of your favorite movies are now re-released in color, recite "Hi hungry, I'm Dad" joke, despise all modern day music, suddenly claim that Sprite is "too spicy."Yeah, so turns out Fernando Rodney ain't about that boring life. The 40-year-old righty has had one hell of a week, and if you wrote him off during the offseason, sucks to be you, because this old tom cat has plenty of purrrrr left in him.In the span of three days, Rodney notched three…

The July 31st MLB trade deadline recently passed last week, but that doesn't mean there won't be more players swapping teams this season. Teams can make trades through September, but the players can't play in the postseason unless they're traded before August 31st. In order for a player on the 40-man roster to be traded, they must be placed on revocable waivers, which lasts 47 hours. If the player isn't claimed, his team can freely trade him anywhere, except to teams the player has on his no-trade list. If the player is…