Brewers Bolster Bullpen by Trading for LHP Daniel Norris

The trade deadline is now just a few hours away, but it was only a matter of time before the Milwaukee Brewers added to their bullpen depth. This is a move that we’ve seen David Stearns often make in the past and when it comes to the postseason, there is no such thing as too much pitching.

According to Jeff Passan, the Milwaukee Brewers have traded for left-handed Daniel Norris from the Detroit Tigers. The Crew will be sending right-hander Reece Olson to the Tigers in exchange, as reported by Cody Stavenhagen.

Norris is in his eighth big league season which began in Toronto but he’s been with Detroit since 2015. For his career, Norris has a 4.57 ERA, a FIP of 4.33, and a 1.396 WHIP.

This season specifically, Norris does have a 5.89 ERA, but his FIP of 3.78 tells a different story. Norris has a fantastic .555 OPS against lefties this season and is striking out 9.52 batters per nine innings and has allowed four home runs over 36.2 innings pitched. However, he is also walking 3.68 batters per nine as well.

As noted by MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, more recently, Norris has found more success. In his last 12 outings, his opponents have a .184 average, his ERA is 3.48, and he hasn’t allowed a hit in his last six appearances.

Norris relies on a 93 mph fastball, and he also frequently works in a change-up and a slider as well. According to Baseball Savant this season, many of his underlying numbers are below league average, however, including a career-high hard-hit rate for his opponents.

The addition of Norris provides some much-needed bullpen depth as well as an experienced arm to lean on, and someone who has had a lot of success this season against left-handed hitters.

It’s unlikely that the Milwaukee Brewers are done just yet. They could still use another bullpen arm and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that they are still looking to add another bat.

Norris is a free agent after the 2021 season.