PADS CONTINUE TO TINKER, ADD C NORRIS
The San Diego Padres acquired catcher Derek Norris, pitcher Seth Streich and cash from the Oakland Athletics for pitchers Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
This could be an interesting move for San Diego, since Norris is still only 25 years old. He received a career-high 385 at-bats in Oakland last season, and is expected to play even more as the Padres' undisputed No. 1 catcher. His defense hasn't been as good as expected in the big leagues (so far), and he has yet to prove he can hit right-handed pitching with regularity, but Norris may be able to put it all together in the National League. There's still untapped potential there. Streich and the signing bonus slot are bonuses here--Norris is the clear impact addition in this deal for the revamped Pads.
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
While the A's seemingly trade everybody all the time, this one was a little bit surprising. Norris is still young and hasn't finished developing as an everyday catcher, but he'll do so with the Padres now. In return, the A's land two quality arms in Hahn (a candidate for Oakland's starting rotation or bullpen in '15) and Alvarez, a dynamic reliever who could also find his way onto the 25-man roster as soon as this spring. Without Norris, the A's hope veteran left-handed batter {P John Jaso} is over his concussion issues and former White Sox catcher {P Josh Phegley} can replace Norris in a platoon system.
Fantasy impact
Norris should see more at-bats with San Diego, so his fantasy value has taken an upturn. Hahn and Alvarez are more likely to make an impact in Oakland, so their respective values are also on the rise. Phegley and Jaso also have more value now that Norris is with the Padres.
