The Phillies made another minor trade this week, acquiring right-handed pitcher James Norwood from the Padres in exchange for minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo. Norwood only has 28 big league games under his belt over the past four seasons, but does come with some upside, posting a 3.67 ERA over 27 career innings. It’s a low-risk move for the Phillies, as Pichardo is far off the top prospect radar, having spent most of last season struggling to hit in A-ball.
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James Norwood has pitched well for the Cubs and Padres when given a chance in the majors, and has shown equally well in the minor leagues, piling up four seasons with a K/9 over 10. Norwood is out of minor league options, thus forcing the Phillies to either add him to the MLB roster to begin the year, or subject him to DFA limbo once more. The Philadelphia bullpen does look deeper than it has in recent years with the additions of Corey Knebel, Jeurys Familia and Brad Hand, but with both Sam Coonrod and José Alvarado questionable to begin the year, a backend bullpen spot could be up for grabs. James Norwood adds a nice bit of depth for President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski at a dirt cheap price.
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