Determined to compete with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, the Baltimore Orioles made yet another significant trade on Wednesday afternoon. After acquiring Scott Feldman (Chicago Cubs) and Francisco Rodriguez (Milwaukee Brewers) earlier this month, they added Bud Norris to their starting rotation in a deadline deal with the Houston Astros.

Norris is an affordable long-term piece for Dan Duquette. He earns just $3 million this season and is under club control through the 2015 season. He'll be eligible for arbitration for the second time this coming winter. The move could pay dividends for the Orioles over the next few months and seasons.

The Astros, who continue to rebuild and haven't made the playoffs since losing the 2005 World Series, trimmed the highest-paid player from their roster. Norris is a cheap, effective starter but the haul they received in return has greater value to the franchise.

Houston received outfield prospect L.J. Hoes, left-hander Josh Hader and a 2014 Competitive Balance pick, while also sending an international bonus slot ($213,000 value) to Baltimore.

The draft pick might ultimately carry the most value for the Astros. The second pick in the Competitive Balance lottery, which the Orioles won, was No. 35 this June. The pick carried a slot value of $1.6 million and although spending hasn't been Jeff Luhnow's modus operandi overall, the draft is a different ballgame.

Hoes entered the season as Baltimore's No. 6 prospect, according to Baseball America. He was a third round pick of the Orioles back in 2008 and was at Triple-A Norfolk. Hoes was hitting .304/.406/.403 in 430 plate appearances, spraying line drives all over the field without much deep power. The Astros will have to decide whether to hand Hoes a cup of coffee in September or give him some seasoning in their minor league system with an eye on next season.

Baltimore drafted Hader in the 19th round in 2012 and he's years away from the Majors, but MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo rates him higher than Hoes. The left-hander saw his velocity jumper recently, leaving scouts and analysts drooling that more improvement might be near. Right now he has three pitches -- a fastball, curve and changeup. At just 19, Hader has time and room to grow into his 6-foot-3 frame (160 pounds) and expand his arsenal.

Grade for Astros: B+

As exciting as they can be, prospects are prospects. As good as they look and project out, there is no guarantee they'll develop as we all expect. With that said, the Astros got a great haul for Norris after waiting to let the market fully develop as the non-waiver deadline approached. He could have filled a hole in their rotation through 2015, but that would be his age-30 season and arbitration could make him more expensive as early as next year. Couple that with a potential starting outfielder in 2014 (Hoes), lefty option in 2016 (Hader) and a likely top-40 pick next June and Luhnow can consider this swap a success.

Grade for Orioles: C+

If the Astros made out well in the trade, did the Orioles get fleeced?  Not exactly. They needed to add a starter with Tampa Bay's deep rotation and Boston adding Jake Peavy less than 24 hours earlier. Duquette had to part with a significant amount, but as mentioned above Norris isn't just a rental arm.

Norris may not be a top-of-rotation arm in the AL East, but he will fill a spot for the Orioles for two-plus seasons at what should remain an affordable rate through arbitration. He has a good-looking 3.93 ERA in 21 starts for Houston, but appears to have had some luck. Norris is allowing a career-high 9.6 hits per nine innings and a career-low 6.4 strikeouts per nine.

He faced some good lineups in the AL West, but things will get tougher in his new division. It could be that Norris was bothered was constant trade rumors, leading to more hits and fewer strikeouts, but he has failed to take the next step in recent seasons.