The San Diego Padres announced Dec. 2 they have acquired right-handed pitcher Pedro Avila from the Washington Nationals in exchange for catcher Derek Norris. Executive vice president/general manager A.J. Preller made the announcement.
Avila, 19, spent the 2016 season with Single-A Hagerstown and went 7-7 with a 3.48 ERA (36 ER, 93.0 IP) and 92 strikeouts against 38 walks in his 20 appearances (all starts) for the Suns. The Venezuela native originally signed with the Nationals on July 5, 2014 as an international free agent and has gone 14-10 with a 2.93 ERA (51 ER, 156.2 IP) and 184 strikeouts against 56 walks in his 34 professional appearances (33 starts).
Norris, 27, hit .186 (77-for-415) with 17 doubles, 14 home runs, 42 RBI and 50 runs scored in 2016 in 125 games played (113 starts), all behind the plate. In his two seasons with San Diego (2015-16), the right-hander hit .222 (206-for-930) with 50 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs, 104 RBI, 115 runs scored and 13 stolen bases in 272 games. The Kansas native was originally acquired by the Padres from the Oakland Athletics on Dec. 18, 2014 along with RHP Seth Streich and cash considerations in exchange for RHP R.J. Alvarez and RHP Jesse Hahn.