The Baltimore Orioles find themselves facing a bit of a conundrum with their trade chips, perhaps most notably in Zach Britton. The Orioles enter play Friday on a four-game winning streak, yet three games under .500, out of the American League East race but still in the Wild Card picture.
There’s an indication, though not a clear decision, as to whether the Orioles will become sellers ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Further complicating the situation is principal owner Peter Angelos has opted against folding throughout his tenure.
In the event the Orioles opt to move forward with trading a player or multiple players, Britton figures to be among their most sought-after commodities.
That’s not to say there aren’t concerns over his health, however, which a scout mentioned to Joel Sherman of The New York Post:
“Britton is such a red flag for me,” said a scout from a team that badly wants to add top-flight relief. “Your medical people are going to earn every dollar if you agree to a trade for him. He is just not consistent. I am not sure if it is elbow or the fact that he missed two months and needs time to get consistent.”
Britton only appeared in six games before landing on the disabled list in April due to a left forearm strain. He made a relatively quick return but the injury forced Britton back to the DL after two games in May.
The 29-year-old was reinstated July 5, and has five saves this season, though the last was April 14. Britton sports a 2.81 ERA and 1.81 WHIP, and his WHIP and hits per nine innings (12.4) would set career-worst marks.
The results are in stark contrast to last season when the left-hander converted all 47 of his save opportunities while pitching to a minuscule 0.54 ERA. Britton allowed four earned runs in 67 innings, which he’s already exceeded (five runs) in just 16 innings pitched this season.
Nonetheless, the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the teams who have been connected to Britton. The injury concern may be offset in some regard by Britton being under team control through the 2019 season.
Of course, the Orioles may very well elect to keep Britton and potentially look to trade him prior to next year’s deadline, when health may be a non-issue.
