Fansided

Top 25 tradeable pieces to keep an eye on this season

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 10: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the eighth inning at Progressive Field on September 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Orioles 3-2, (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 10: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the eighth inning at Progressive Field on September 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Orioles 3-2, (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /

8. Zach Britton

Whoever decided that the Baltimore Orioles would not be accepting a trade package from the Houston Astros last July for All-Star closer Zach Britton should be fired into the sun. Unfortunately for Orioles fans all over the country, it is impossible to fire the owner and NASA is not yet capable of sending manned flights into the surface of our closest star. Peter Angelos had a misguided belief that his team could still contend and refused to trade his closer.

The worst thing imaginable for the Orioles and Britton happened when he ruptured his Achilles during an offseason workout. The left-hander, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, seems to have been the one string keeping the Orioles away from total collapse. The team has been in free fall since his elbow injury last year, and the decline has accelerated in his absence this year. All that’s left to do now is hope Britton looks like an All-Star when he comes off the disabled list at some point this month.

The Orioles have to trade Britton, if only to avoid looking completely incompetent as an organization. At his best, the two-time All-Star is historically good. While working through elbow and knee injuries last year, he seemed to lose some explosiveness on his sinker. It’s anyone’s guess as to how the most recent injury will affect him.

If Britton is healthy and good to go, he will still have a high level of value on the trade market. Houston should still be checking in on his availability, and the Orioles won’t turn down a good offer this year. Ideally, Britton would land with a team that is fairly well-assured of its postseason status and can bring him along slowly with a focus on peaking in October.

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