Will the Baltimore Orioles trade Zach Britton this offseason? If they do, these three teams look like possible landing spots for the elite lefty closer.
Relief pitchers have never been as important as they are now. When healthy, Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton is one of the best in baseball. He utterly dominated the ninth inning in 2016.
Injuries, unfortunately, limited Britton from having another Cy Young-worthy season in 2017. Since becoming a full-time reliever in 2014, Britton will fail to reach the 50 inning mark.
Before this injury-tarnished campaign he’s currently finishing up, Britton was a stable and reliable arm Buck Showalter could rely on. From 2014-2016 he saved at least 36 games and never ended the year with an ERA above 1.92. The 2016 season was his best with a league-leading 47 saves and 0.54 ERA.
Surely, the Orioles would love to keep Britton around. Baseball is a business, though. And players of his caliber need to get paid. He’s already earning $11.4 million this year through the arbitration process. Next year, despite missing a lot of time this season, he should earn even more.
It’s the fact that Britton’s contract expires after 2018 which should lead to the Orioles shopping him this offseason. This is dependent on whether they are willing to go “all in” next year or if they would prefer to begin the rebuilding process early. Since they’re facing the possibility of losing Britton, Adam Jones, Manny Machado, and others after 2018, the Orioles may decide early on who stays for the long-haul and which ones are dealt before they depart with no return.
If Britton becomes one of those trade casualties, plenty of teams will want him. Based on need and which teams have the talent to acquire Britton, I see these three squads as the best landing spots.