Having already parted Manny Machado, the Baltimore Orioles are next expected to trade Zach Britton prior to the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Like with their All-Star shortstop, there doesn’t appear to be any shortage of interest in the left-handed closer.
Britton was believed to be on the trade market last season, when the Los Angeles Dodgers were among the clubs with interest. But considering he was dealing with injury trouble and still had another year before reaching free agency, Baltimore stood pat.
That decision backfired in some regard as Britton ruptured his Achilles injury during the offseason. The 30-year-old did not make his 2018 debut until June, but has pitched to encouraging results.
With the likes of Jeurys Familia and Brad Hand already being traded, Britton arguably resides as the best relief pitcher still available.
Although the Dodgers are in search of pitching help, they may be fading some in talks with the Orioles to acquire Britton, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:
#Dodgers and #Braves don’t appear quite as engaged on Zach Britton as some other clubs. LA has luxury tax issues, as @Ken_Rosenthal has mentioned, and Atlanta is hesitant to dig too deep into the farm for a rental.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 22, 2018
General manager Farhan Zaidi said the Dodgers briefly explored the possibility of expanding the trade for Machado to include Britton. But because a larger deal would become more complicated, they abandoned the idea out of fear a deal for Machado would come undone.
In addition to the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros are among the teams with reported interest in acquiring the Orioles’ closer.
Britton is 1-0 with four saves, a 3.45 ERA, 4.43 FIP and 1.34 WHIP 16 appearances.
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