The catching situation for the Tampa Bay Rays may be getting more clouded before it gets clearer.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Rays will sign Derek Norris, who was released by the Washington Nationals on March 15.
Norris, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 draft by Washington, was traded to the Oakland Athletics in the deal that sent left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the nation's capital. He made his big-league debut in 2012, and was an American League All-Star in 2013.
He was then traded to San Diego in a transaction that sent former Rays pitcher Jesse Hahn to Oakland in December of 2014, and in December 2016, was dealt back to Washington for minor-league pitcher Pedro Avila.
Norris was released by Washington shortly after the Nationals signed Matt Wieters to a two-year deal.
The team has not confirmed the signing, manager Kevin Cash had no comment on the deal, and Brown has not reported on if the agreement is a minor or big-league deal.
UPDATE: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Norris will get a one-year big-league deal that will be under $2 million, and does not include an option.
The Rays would also have to wait to announce the signing of Norris until they work out a corresponding move with another player on the 40-man roster, as it is currently at the 40-man limit.
Norris is under team control for the 2017 and 2018 season, with next offseason being his final year of arbitration eligibility.
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