UPDATE 2:15 PM: The Norris sweepstakes are narrowing down a bit, and the Pirates remain the most likely team to get him. While they may still be interested, the Orioles have not made an offer for Norris and are more interested in Angels' starter Jason Vargas, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears that he Braves are no longer involved in talks with the Astros for Norris. Lastly, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle notes if Norris has been traded already, he's not headed to the Giants.
ORIGINAL: The Houston Astros announced that they have scratched starter Bud Norris from his start in Baltimore tonight, prompting many to believe that a move involving him is in the works. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports that a deal involving Norris is very likely to happen, and that the Pirates, who could be offering a prospect centered around pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow, are a potential landing spot for the right-hander. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes that no deal is complete yet, and that three teams are strong in their pursuit of Norris, including the Orioles.
Sources: Bud Norris very likely to be dealt today, and Pittsburgh could be landing spot. Package built around Tyler Glasnow makes sense.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2013
While Passan says that a deal is likely to happen today, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com writes that nothing is imminent with the Astros. Passan tweets that he scratch is likely a case of the Astros talking to multiple teams about Norris, with the strong possibility of getting something done before he is scheduled to start tonight.
We'll see what happens with Norris, but I'm told Astros have no trade even close with anyone as of now.
— Danny Knobler (@DannyKnoblerCBS) July 30, 2013
Other teams in on Bud Norris at the moment. One executive says Astros motivated to move him. Still under control for 2+ seasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2013
As Passan and McTaggart have said, the Pirates and Orioles seem to be two of the three teams who are going hard after Norris. The third team is still unidentified, but could be anyone from the group of teams that has previously shown interest in him: the Braves, Red Sox, Phillies, Giants and Dodgers. Out of that group, the Braves and Giants are the most likely teams to still be pursuing the righty.
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