Luca Panerati is slated to start for Team Italy on Saturday night against Team USA, in a game that could eliminate the Americans from the World Baseball Classic.

A brief bio: Panerati was born in Grossetto, Italy. He pitched in the Cincinnati farm system from 2008 until 2011, when he was released. The 23-year-old left-hander spent last season in his homeland, pitching for Bologna of the Italian Baseball League, and has contemplated the possibility of playing in Japan.

Panerati’s role model in this itinerant pitching life?

Naturally, R.A. Dickey.

“I was reading R.A. Dickey’s book,” Panerati said Friday, as he stood on the field before Italy’s 14-4 triumph over Canada. “It’s a crazy story. That really made me realize if you get released by a team, it doesn’t mean you don’t belong. You decide when it’s over – just you.

“Nobody can tell you that you can’t pitch. Nobody can tell you that you can’t run. Nobody can tell you that you can’t hit. It’s just you. You’ve got to believe in yourself. You have to be confident in what you’re doing. It’s a small edge between being confident and cocky. If you keep it to yourself, it helps a lot.”

Dickey’s personal and professional journey to last year’s National League Cy Young Award has become familiar to baseball fans throughout the world, but his signature knuckleball was less effective than usual in Friday’s loss to Mexico.

Panerati said he would love to meet Dickey during the tournament.

“I would say (to him that) he has an amazing story, and it was a great idea to tell everybody,” Panerati said. “I don’t think everybody has perseverance he had, completely changing his life, pretty much, from a conventional pitcher to the knuckleball.

“It’s not just about baseball. It’s about a life revolving around baseball, how his family supports him. It would be awesome to meet him and say congratulations that he made it and won the Cy Young Award last year.”

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Anyone expecting Nolan Ryan to rejoin the Houston Astros, don’t hold your breath.

Ryan is pondering whether to remain as CEO of the Texas Rangers, according to major-league sources. But even if he departs over an apparent power struggle, Ryan likely will balk at returning to the Astros, according to two major-league sources familiar with his thinking.

The Astros, under new ownership and a new front office, purged many of Ryan’s friends and associates last fall. In some cases, the Astros declined to renew the contracts of their employees. In others, they offered pay cuts that were rejected, sources said.

“No way Nolan will work for them,” one source said.

Ryan, 66, pitched for the Astros from 1980 to ’88. After retiring, he owned the team’s Double A and Triple A affiliates and served as a special assistant to the general manager before joining the Rangers in 2008.

He would resist any overtures from new owner Jim Crane out of loyalty to his old Astros’ associates, many of whom were longtime employees of the team, sources said.

Those associates include:

• Former bullpen assistant coach Stretch Suba (36 years with the club).

• Former strength coach Gene Coleman (34 years).

• Former traveling secretary Barry Waters (33 years).

• Former senior adviser Matt Galante (28 years).

• Former farm director Fred Nelson (27 years).

• Former executive assistant Traci Dearing (15 years).

• Former assistant GM Dave Gottfried (14 years).

• Former Triple A pitching coach Burt Hooton (13 years).

— Ken Rosenthal

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The two ex-Rangers in the Phillies’ clubhouse, third baseman Michael Young and reliever Mike Adams, aren’t privy to the political maneuverings within their former team’s front office.

All Young and Adams know is this: If Nolan Ryan resigns as chief executive officer, as one published report recently suggested, the team’s fans will be upset.

“I have no idea the ins and outs – that’s obviously Rangers business,” Young said Thursday morning. “But after 12 years there, I have a pretty good understanding of what the fans like. When it comes to all things Rangers, Nolan is at the top of the list of everything that fans like.”

Adams, a native Texan, agreed.

“Nolan is a legend -- a Texas legend, and not just Texas baseball, but the state of Texas,” Adams said. “(They would) lose almost face of the franchise, really. He hasn’t played (since 1993) and he’s still pretty much the face of the franchise. If it’s personal reasons, that’s a totally different story. But if he’s pushed out, I think it’s going to be perceived badly.”

The departure of Ryan almost certainly would not affect attendance – as Adams put it, “the fans ain’t going to stop going because Nolan is not with the organization. Still, the fans aren’t the only ones who would miss Ryan.

The Rangers’ players would, too.

“He was around a lot in spring training. He went to pretty much every game,” Young said. “He’d be in the dugout. You’d bump into him and say hello. He was always available if you’d want to talk baseball, which is what baseball players do.

“In spring training, we’d sit in the kitchen, Nolan would come in and tell stories of when (Robin) Ventura charged him and Bo (Jackson) pulled him out of the pile when he was about to black out. It was always great to talk to a Hall of Famer, bounce ideas off him, let him do the same to you.”

Young said that Ryan served as a particularly valuable sounding board for him during the 2010-11 offseason, when Young asked for a trade during a dispute with general manager Jon Daniels, saying he had been “misled and manipulated.”

Ryan and Daniels had said that Young “changed his mind” about his willingness to become a DH and super-utility player after the team’s signing of free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. Young took exception to those remarks, and a visit from Ryan helped clear the air.

“He came to my house two nights before I was going to drive to spring training. He heard me out, heard what my concerns were,” Young recalled.

“The reason it was helpful is because at that point Nolan understood that it had nothing to do with baseball. I had already agreed to my role. But there was a lot of stuff that had happened behind the scenes that led to it going south. It was good to be heard out, simple as that. And I appreciated it.”

Adams’ relationship with Ryan was different. He grew up in Sinton, Texas, and attended Texas A&M-Kingsville. Ryan was his hero, and Adams, during his time with the Rangers, found it difficult to even approach him.

“It was one of those, 'He’s Nolan Ryan. You don’t want to bother him too much,'” Adams said. “I was a Texas kid also. He was my pitching idol when I was growing up.

“I was more in awe than anything whenever I was around him. It was huge for me, him being there, being part of the organization, just to say I know Nolan, and count him as a friend.

“I still get Christmas cards from him. It’s kind of cool.”

-Ken Rosenthal

Mike Trout’s agent, in his talks with the Los Angeles Angels, implied that the outfielder wanted a $1 million salary for 2013, according to major-league sources.

Such a figure would have been the largest ever paid to a player with fewer than two years of service. But Trout’s agent, Craig Landis, could have asked for $25 million and it wouldn’t have mattered.

Trout, as a pre-arbitration player, had no leverage. And the Angels, rather than reward Trout for his historic rookie season, simply followed a scale that they use for all of their pre-arb players, sources say.

The team renewed Trout for $510,000 – the top of their scale for one-plus players, but just $20,000 above the major-league minimum. Outfielder Mark Trumbo agreed to the top of the Angels’ scale for two-plus players - $540,000.

One source said that the Angels actually made Trout a higher offer than $510,000, then renewed him as a punitive measure when he would not accept. Another source, however, said the Angels did not negotiate in any fashion, refusing to deviate from their scale.

Whatever happened, the real question is why the Angels weren’t willing to make an exception for Trout. They could have broken their scale for a player who won the AL Rookie of the Year and finished second in the MVP voting. They also could have gone above scale if they awarded bonuses to 0-to-3 players who achieve certain honors, the way other teams do.

Ryan Howard’s $900,000 salary in 2007, coming off a National League MVP award, remains the highest ever awarded to a player with less than two years of service. Buster Posey received $575,000 in ’11 after winning the NL Rookie of the Year award and helping the San Francisco Giants win the World Series.

The entire episode with Trout likely will be forgotten if he and the Angels reach agreement on a long-term contract in the near future. The team has every right to wield the hammer on players before they reach arbitration. After that, the great ones get paid in a big way.

-Ken Rosenthal

Team USA will gather Sunday in Phoenix to begin preparations for the World Baseball Classic, but there’s an unexpected item of business for general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. and manager Joe Torre to address before then.

USA must find a new relief pitcher, after Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of a right shoulder strain.

“He was really pumped up for this, so this is doubly disappointing,” Garagiola said. “The player’s health and the season are the paramount concern, and he and the Indians will do what they can to make sure he’s ready for Opening Day. It’s too bad for Team USA, and I feel badly for him.

“From the minute Joe (Torre) reached out to him, last December or January, he was enthusiastic, sending out tweets. We’ll miss him. We wish he was part of the team.”

Garagiola said he expects to replace Perez with a reliever, so there’s no sense in wondering if Justin Verlander or Clayton Kershaw will suddenly change his mind and join the team.

Ideally, the U.S. would have an elite closer to pair with Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel, who may be unavailable for certain games because of WBC pitch restrictions. But Garagiola pointed out that a number of relievers on the U.S. roster have closed in the big leagues.

“I don’t know how terribly important it is (to have another established closer),” Garagiola said. “We have a lot of people on the pitching staff who have closing experience: Kimbrel, (Heath) Bell. (Luke) Gregerson has closed. (Glen) Perkins has closed. I think we’ve got a lot of closers.

“If we add another one, that’s great. If we don’t, we have plenty of people already. With versatility of the bullpen, I don’t think we’re limited to finding a ‘quote-unquote’ closer.”

A number of the top American-born closers — Jim Johnson, Jason Motte, Joe Nathan and Joel Hanrahan — previously declined offers to pitch in this year’s WBC, according to reports.

Arizona Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz could emerge as one candidate to replace Perez. Putz pitched for USA in the ’09 WBC and is already training in nearby Scottsdale with his team. The Diamondbacks likely would support Putz’s participation, as the organization has been heavily involved in planning for the tournament and will host first-round games at Chase Field and Salt River Fields.

USA has nine relievers at the moment: Kimbrel, Bell, Gregerson, Perkins, Jeremy Affeldt, Mitchell Boggs, Steve Cishek, Tim Collins and Vinnie Pestano. Derek Holland, a starter with the Texas Rangers, could serve in a bullpen role if he’s not chosen for the rotation during pool play.

USA opens WBC play Friday, March 8, against Mexico at Chase Field. After failing to reach the championship game in the first two tournaments, some observers have suggested the U.S. faces intense pressure to win the title this time.

Garagiola doesn’t see it that way.

“I don’t think so,” he said, when asked if he feels the weight of those expectations. “Joe and I were talking today. We’re just excited. There’s been a lot of work put into this on everybody’s part, including Tony Clark at the MLBPA. It’s exciting to know that, in a couple days, these guys are going to be here, on the field, and we’re going to see this team as a team.

“Joe was saying today that he’s getting the managerial butterflies again. We all feel the same way. It’s going to be a really special moment, when that pitcher winds up, we look in the other dugout, and there’s Mexico. The players are fired up. Once they get here in the same clubhouse, they’re going to look around, saying, ‘Wow, this is a pretty good team.’”

— Jon Paul Morosi

JUPITER, Fla. – At this time last year, Mike Trout was 20. Bryce Harper was 19. By the time the season ended, they were Rookies of the Year.

Now, the most hyped minor-league outfielder is in the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring camp. Oscar Taveras is 20. A native of the Dominican Republic, he is the consensus No. 3 prospect in the game, according to Baseball America.

And Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak acknowledged Sunday that Taveras could join Trout and Harper in the major leagues before the 2013 season is over.

“I certainly wouldn’t bet against it at this point,” Mozeliak said in an interview with FOXSports.com. “He’s a tremendous talent. The thing he has going against him right now is we have a very veteran outfield. For him to get at-bats, he’s much better off developing at his age.

“If I knew he’d play every day, it might be a different question.”

In other words: If the Cardinals didn’t have seven-time All-Star Carlos Beltran in right field, Taveras could be competing for a spot in the Opening Day lineup despite not playing above Double-A. Taveras can play center field, as well, but Jon Jay is established as the starter there.

Beltran, though, is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. So Taveras, who turns 21 this June, is poised to have a regular spot in the Cardinals’ outfield by 2014.

“He’s a tremendous talent,” Mozeliak said. “When his day comes, it’ll come. He’s an offensive player. He’s just one of those guys who hits the ball hard and often and gets positive results.

“When you look at him from a high level, he’s a complete baseball payer. He’s still developing defensively. You have to remind yourself: He’s 20. He has all the tools to be great, but he still has to learn the game and to respect the game. If he does all that, he has a tremendous future.”

Taveras amassed a .953 OPS with 23 home runs and 94 RBI in 124 games with the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate in Springfield, Mo., last year.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

JUPITER, Fla. – Juan Pierre signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Miami Marlins this winter. He hopes it’s not the last contract of his career.

Pierre, 35, said in an interview Saturday that he hopes to play beyond this year. Pierre is coming off a successful season with the Philadelphia Phillies, in which he batted .307 and stole 37 bases.

“I would like to play as long as I still enjoy the game,” Pierre said. “Last year, I signed a minor-league deal. So, it wasn’t like it was guaranteed. I had to make the team.

“I’m not high on people’s list. I don’t think I’m in a position to say, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll play three or four more years.’ I’m not in that position. I have to go one year at a time.”

Pierre last played for the Marlins in 2005, before he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs. Now he’s back for a second tour as the everyday left fielder on a rebuilt Miami team. 

What’s been the key to Pierre’s longevity? The answer, perhaps not surprisingly, is that he runs during the offseason. A lot. He does it in short bursts, ladder workouts, and with resistance bungees. Pierre doesn’t bother with distance training, saying it’s been years since he ran a continuous mile.

Pierre focuses on 90 feet – the interval he’s covered 591 times, as the majors’ active leader in stolen bases.

“I know if my legs go, then I go,” Pierre said. “Tony Perez told me that in my first go-around here (with the Marlins): ‘Keep your legs. Keep your legs.’ Guys retire because they lose their legs. That stuck with me ever since then.

“I know I’m at the stage when people are waiting for me to slow up. The work I do in the offseason, half of it is just (about) staying healthy.”

Pierre was one of the most sought-after free agents in baseball after the 2006 season, when he signed a five-year, $44 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fellow outfield speedster Michael Bourn just agreed to a comparable deal with Cleveland (four years, $48 million) after much debate over his appropriate market value.

“Guys that run, you get to 31 and (teams) shy away from guys like that,” Pierre said. “Bourn is 30. I was 28 when I signed my deal with the Dodgers, right in the prime. It’s a tough thing, because power never goes on you. No one’s saying that about Adam Dunn or Ryan Howard or (Albert) Pujols. You’re going to hit for power. You’re not going to one day hit the ball like I do.

“But the legs, it’s a big thing. Bourn is super fast. I think he takes care of his body pretty good. That’s the big thing. As a runner, you have to do more than the sluggers do. When we get on, it takes a lot out of us. We’ve got to dive back to bags. We’ve got to steal. All of that stuff takes its toll.”

Asked if he thought Bourn’s deal was fair, Pierre said, “I don’t know what he was after, but that’s a good chunk of money, I believe. From my vantage point, that was a nice deal – especially for a guy who doesn’t hit home runs. Let’s call it what it is: Most guys who get the big bucks are run producers, unless it was Ichiro, and Ichiro’s in a different class. Other than Ichiro, I don’t know of a pure singles guy who got a whole lot of money (in comparison to) a run producer.”

-- Jon Paul Morosi

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Chris Colabello, a non-roster invitee with the Minnesota Twins, is probably the happiest man in baseball this spring.

It would be trite to say Colabello, 29, has come out of nowhere. He actually comes from everywhere. Colabello grew up mostly in Massachusetts but spent several years of his childhood in Italy before attending Division II Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. Then he began a seven-year career as a slugging corner infielder in the independent Canadian-American Association, with teams in Worcester and Nashua, N.H.

Colabello didn’t play his first game in affiliated minor-league baseball until last year at age 28, when the Twins signed him after Colabello’s agent, Brian Charles, sent scouting footage of him to the team. The right-handed Colabello put together a strong season at Double-A New Britain – an .836 OPS in 134 games – and helped Team Italy win the European Baseball Championship last September. He continued his power hitting for Guasave of the Mexican Pacific League during the offseason.

Now he has a locker in the Twins’ major-league clubhouse – right next to Justin Morneau’s – and will join Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic early next month.

“There’s not too many guys happier than I am right now – with everything,” a beaming Colabello said this week. “Being in big-league camp, getting to (play in the WBC).

“I signed with Detroit in ’06. They let me go right out of spring training. I had signed out of a tryout camp. I spent the next six years in indy ball. Before you knew it, the Twins came calling in 2012, and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

“Believe me: The smiles I have on my face all day, every day, are not fake. It’s very easy for me to come here and appreciate everything and be thankful to this organization.”

Colabello’s father, Lou, was born and raised in Massachusetts but played in Italy’s domestic baseball league for several years after college. Lou joined the Italian national team – as some Italian-Americans are permitted to do – and pitched for Team Italy against Team USA at Dodger Stadium during the 1984 Summer Olympics.  

Lou Colabello met his wife, Silvana, while playing in Rimini. Although Chris was born in the U.S., the family returned to Italy when he was young so Lou could work as an executive and coach in both baseball and basketball. So, Chris played for Team Italy in the European Cup when he was 11 and 12 years.

“Talk about getting treated like royalty when you’re 11 years old,” he said. “We went to Paris one year and then the Czech Republic the next year. We won the European Cup both years. Wearing the Italian uniform is really special for me.”

-- Jon Paul Morosi

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Few expect much from the Colorado Rockies’ pitching staff this season, and understandably so. The Rockies had a 5.49 team ERA in 2012, the worst in the National League by nearly a run per nine innings.

Offensively, though, the Rockies should be a handful for opposing staffs — and they’re deep enough in hitters to possibly swing a trade for another starting pitcher before Opening Day.

Catching is an area of particular surplus for Colorado. Wilin Rosario, Ramon Hernandez and Jordan Pacheco are on the team’s 40-man roster. Yorvit Torrealba is a non-roster invitee to spring training. Hernandez, earning $3.2 million, is likely the one the Rockies most would like to trade.

The team wants to add one more capable starting pitcher, major-league sources say — someone who could throw 150 to 175 innings and produce a ERA in the 4.50-4.75 range. Someone like right-hander Josh Fogg, who pitched for the Rockies in 2006-07.

Even pitchers of such modest quality are difficult to obtain. But even beyond catcher, the Rockies possess multiple options at every spot on the field, creating trade possibilities:

First base: Todd Helton, Michael Cuddyer, Tyler Colvin, Ryan Wheeler.

Second base: Josh Rutledge, DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Culberson.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, Jonathan Herrera, Reid Brignac.

Third base: Chris Nelson, Wheeler, Pacheco, Nolan Arenado.

Outfield: Cuddyer, Colvin, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Eric Young Jr., Charlie Blackmon.

Will such depth lead to a trade? Difficult to say. But with Tulowitzki now recovered from left groin surgery, one club official says the offense could be “prolific.” And for the Rockies, that would be a start.

— Ken Rosenthal

Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik has said that he is on the verge of trading first baseman Mike Carp, whom the team designated for assignment last week.

But the Milwaukee Brewers, a team with a glaring need at first base, are not in the mix for Carp, major-league source say.

The Brewers lost Mat Gamel to a season-ending ACL injury on Monday. They also will open the season without Corey Hart, who is recovering from knee surgery.

But rather than trade for Carp or sign a free agent such as Carlos Lee, the Brewers first will examine their internal options – Taylor Green, Hunter Morris and Alex Gonzalez.

If those options prove unappealing, the team could pursue a first-base type on a minor-league contract later in the spring. Two former Brewers - the Red Sox’s Lyle Overbay and Orioles’ Travis Ishikawa – fit that description, as does the New York Yankees’ Juan Rivera.

Gonzalez, a shortstop for his entire 14-year career, doesn’t sound enthused about playing first. He told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “I don’t know yet about that,” when asked about the possibility.

The Brewers, though, are kicking around the idea that Gonzalez could become for them what Michael Young was for the Rangers in recent seasons, bouncing all over the infield.

Green, too, offers versatility with his ability to play second and third base. Carp plays only first, and the Brewers would have no place for him after Hart returned.

-Ken Rosenthal

SURPRISE, Az. – The Texas Rangers are Nate Robertson’s seventh organization since 2010, so he figured it was time to try something new.

Robertson, who was a 13-game winner for the 2006 American League champion Detroit Tigers, is still left-handed, and still wears glasses.

But, as he puts it, “I’ve basically reinvented everything I’ve ever done.”

Robertson, 35, is now a reliever, not a starter. He also is throwing sidearm, from a low three-quarters arm slot, rather than over the top.

It all happened almost by accident.

Robertson was starting in Triple A for the Toronto Blue Jays last season when a line drive struck him in the elbow, forcing him to the disabled list.

When he returned for the final two weeks of the season, the team had no room in its rotation, and needed him as a reliever.

Bob Stanley, the team’s pitching coach, asked Robertson to “drop down” and lower his arm slot. Robertson had success, and decided to stick with it.

Mike Grouse, a scout with the Rangers, visited Robertson at his home in Maize, KS., in late January to watch him throw.

The audition, Robertson said, took place in a shop building behind his house. The building is about 120 feet long, and Robertson outfitted it with a net and plastic mound.

His catcher that day?

Pat Murphy, a lawyer who doubles as the bullpen catcher for the Wichita Wingnuts, an independent team in which Robertson has an ownership stake.

“I’m in tennis shoes, sweatpants and t-shirt, throwing off this mound with this new delivery, and three days later the Rangers offered me a contract,” Robertson said.

Robertson, who averaged 31 starts for the Tigers from 2004 to ’08, but hasn’t pitched in the majors since ’10, signed a minor-league deal.

All he wanted was another chance.

“I’ve had a lot of fun doing this, more fun than I’ve had in the last several years that I’ve played,” Robertson said.

“I’ve had elbow issues, and had surgery in Mariners camp (in 2011). I would see my stuff, it would be flat, guys would get good swings on it, my slider wasn’t as sharp as it used to be.

“I’ve got a competitive spirit. I want to play. Before I get it out of my system, I have to try some different things.”

-Ken Rosenthal 

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Jose Reyes made news on Friday, telling reporters that Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria encouraged him to buy a home in Miami two days before the Marlins traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Contrast that with the way the Cleveland Indians reached out Monday night to their players who were affected by their signing of free-agent center fielder Michael Bourn.

General manager Chris Antonetti called outfielders Drew Stubbs and Michael Brantley and first baseman Mark Reynolds to inform them of the news and assure them that they would not be traded.

The three players met with Antonetti and manager Terry Francona and received the same message in person the next day.

“As soon it came out, Chris called me,” Stubbs said. “He said, ‘I hope you haven’t heard it elsewhere. I wanted to be the first to tell you what our plans are. We had an opportunity to make our team better. We’re not trying to move you to another team.’

“It cleared the air right off the bat. They wanted to take all of the ambiguity out of it, make sure I was comfortable with everything.”

Antonetti and Francona informed Stubbs that they wanted to move him from center field to right, a position that he has not played in the majors. But Stubbs said he embraced the idea, knowing that it would help improve the Indians’ outfield defense.

Brantley didn’t actually speak with Antonetti on Monday night — he said he was still on east-coast time, and was asleep at 8:02 p.m. MT when the GM called. He, too, met with Antonetti and Francona on Tuesday morning.

“They went over their thought process,” Brantley said. “It was nice to sit down, have that meeting, have that reassurance. Now it’s my job to go out there, continue playing baseball to the best of my ability.”

Antonetti said that the Indians did not need to contact Nick Swisher, who now figures to play first base instead of right field; Swisher, who had helped recruit Bourn, was aware of all of the possible moving parts.

Reynolds, on the other hand, did not know about the Bourn signing, which could lead to him becoming more of a designated hitter than a first baseman if Stubbs hits well enough to remain in the outfield.

“It’s just being honest,” Antonetti said. “Guys like to have some idea of where they stand. For us, while we may not be able to deliver the best news, we always try to be honest and communicate the best we can.”

— Ken Rosenthal

After trading shortstop Jed Lowrie on Monday, the Houston Astros still might not be done dealing.

Their next player to go could be right-hander Bud Norris, who currently is the Astros’ highest-salaried player at $3 million.

Norris, who turns 28 on March 2, is available and drawing interest, according to major-league sources. The Astros’ motivation for moving him would be the same as it was for all of their other recent deals — to acquire young talent so that they can better compete in the future.

The trade of Lowrie and right-hander Fernando Rodriguez to the Oakland Athletics for a three-player package that included right-hander Brad Peacock increased the Astros’ rotation depth — and potentially their trade options.

The additions of Peacock and right-handers Philip Humber, John Ely and Alex White give the Astros at least eight candidates for their rotation, including Norris. The team also expects to have a promising group of starters at Triple A.

Norris isn’t the only starter on the trade market — the Kansas City Royals’ Luke Hochevar and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano are among the other pitchers available. However, Norris is more affordable than most, and under club control through 2015.

The question is how much Norris would improve simply by joining a better club. Over the past three seasons, he is 27-34 with a 4.41 ERA, averaging 29 starts and 169 1/3 innings. After a strong start to his 2012 season, he regressed to 7-13 with a 4.65 ERA, missing time with a sprained left knee.

The Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals expressed varying levels of interest in Norris at the winter meetings, a source said.

Norris is 8-5 with a 2.74 ERA in 15 career starts against the Cardinals, who announced Tuesday that right-hander Chris Carpenter is unlikely to pitch for them in 2013.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Atlanta Braves traded four young players along with third baseman Martin Prado to acquire outfielder Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson.

A quick look at each of the youngsters:

RHP Randall Delgado: The pitcher whom the Chicago Cubs wanted to acquire for two months of right-hander Ryan Dempster last season before a proposed deal collapsed.

Delgado, who turns 23 on Feb. 9, throws a power sinker in the mid-90s and also boasts an outstanding changeup. He could become a No. 3 or 4 starter who chews up innings, or a valuable contributor out of the bullpen.

The Braves named Delgado their fifth starter to open the season in 2012, and he will compete for the same role with the Diamondbacks in spring training.

SS Nick Ahmed: The Braves only traded him because Andrelton Simmons is their long-term solution at shortstop. Otherwise, Ahmed – a second-round pick out of Connecticut in 2011 - might have taken over the position by ’14.

Some teams like Ahmed better than Didi Gregorius, another shortstop whom the Diamondbacks acquired this offseason. Ahmed is an outstanding defender with speed, and might prove a better hitter than Gregorius.

The Detroit Tigers, one of the teams that like Ahmed, wanted him as part of a package for right-hander Rick Porcello, according to major-league sources. Those conversations would have expanded the Upton deal to a three-team trade.

Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, however, all but dismissed the idea of acquiring Porcello on Thursday, saying the team no longer was looking for starting pitching after acquiring Delgado.

RHP Zeke Spruill: Spruill, a second-round pick in 2008, was the Braves’ No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America. Braves people compared Spruill, 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, to a young Derek Lowe.

Towers and manager Kirk Gibson saw Spruill pitch in the Arizona Fall League, and evidently liked what they saw. Spruill throws a heavy sinker in the mid-90s.

1B/3B Brandon Drury: A 13^th-round pick in 2010, Drury won the Appalachian League batting title in ’11, but batted only .229 with a .603 OPS at Class A Rome last season.

The Braves believed that Drury profiles better at first than third, and as with Ahmed, loved his makeup. Drury is from Grants Pass, Ore., not far from Towers’ hometown of Medford, Ore. He is close with Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

-Ken Rosenthal

The Baltimore Orioles aren’t interested in trading shortstop J.J. Hardy to Detroit for starter Rick Porcello.

They may be more willing to trade closer Jim Johnson.

At first blush, that seems odd. But there’s a sabermetric rationale behind it.

Johnson could have a superb 2013 season and still not approach what he accomplished last year: He led the majors with 51 saves, made his first All-Star appearance and was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. He turns 30 this June, so he’s right in the middle of his prime.

At the moment, Porcello is probably the best fifth starter in baseball – considering his potential (still young at 24) and the Tigers’ pitching depth. Porcello is coming off an unspectacular season, 10-12 with a 4.59 ERA. But his numbers would improve with a better defensive infield – which the Orioles have, with the likes of Hardy and Manny Machado.

Porcello is three seasons away from free agency, Johnson only two. Porcello has averaged a little more than 170 innings per year over his major-league career. Johnson logged just under 70 in 2012, within the normal range for a closer on a winning team.

So, Porcello figures to throw more than 500 innings before becoming a free agent. Johnson might offer only 140. Put another way: Johnson, with less than one-third of Porcello’s expected workload, would need to pitch pretty spectacularly over the next two seasons in order to be more valuable than a theoretically improved Porcello.

If Orioles general manager Dan Duquette is willing to move Johnson in the right deal, the availability of replacements would be one reason why. Free agent Rafael Soriano is unsigned, along with buy-low candidates Brian Wilson and Jose Valverde. The open market remains laden with semi-closer types like Brandon Lyon and Matt Lindstrom. Pedro Strop and Luis Ayala are internal candidates to close.

The Tigers, meanwhile, would like to add a veteran to the back end of the bullpen, in case Bruce Rondon isn’t ready to close for a World Series contender at age 22 – without having thrown a pitch in the major leagues.

-- Jon Paul Morosi