Zach Britton’s return may help Orioles make a trade

Zach Britton’s return to the Orioles won’t help get Baltimore in the playoffs, but it may help the team’s front office made a good trade.

It’s no secret that there isn’t a lot of pitching available via trade at the moment. The Baltimore Orioles could be one of the team’s looking to sell ahead of the deadline. The return of Zach Britton from injury could give Baltimore a lot more flexibility to make a trade for the future.

Reports from Baltimore claim the team hopes to get its closer back sometime next week. He originally went on the 60-day DL with a torn Achilles back in December. His absence from the O’s bullpen has contributed to the team’s ugly 19-41 record.

Of course, getting their closer back isn’t going to magically transform the Orioles into playoff contenders. The obvious strategy for the team’s front office should be to start making plans for 2019. That should include dealing Manny Machado. He isn’t the only player the team should be taking calls on though.

If Britton can come back and prove he’s healthy, he should get a lot of interest from teams looking to add a reliever. The fact that he’s left-handed will work in his favor. Contending teams are going to be on the lookout for southpaws who can perform well in high-leverage situations.

His experience as a closer will also be important to some teams. He was downright unhittable for Baltimore in that role back in 2016. He closed 47 games that season with a miniscule ERA of 0.54. Teams looking to acquire him shouldn’t expect that level of dominance, but he does have really good stuff out of the pen.

Britton’s return to the pitching staff can also make it easier for the Orioles to consider dealing Brad Brach. The 6-foot-6 has been filling in as the team’s closer during Britton’s injury absence. He doesn’t have the dominating stuff that Britton can showcase, but he’s an effective hurler in his own right. His ERA of 3.13 on the season would slot comfortably into quite a few contenders’ bullpens.

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Britton’s return to the lineup will give Baltimore’s front office even more to think about ahead of the trade deadline. If the team are realistic about their chances, it should lead to several deals before the deadline. If healthy, Britton could definitely be on the move.