Fansided

Red Sox could swing a deal to land Zach Britton from Orioles

By Josh Hill

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 17: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Orioles defeated the Yankees 6-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 17: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Orioles defeated the Yankees 6-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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As the MLB Trade Deadline approaches, the Boston Red Sox seem to be joining the rumor party.

Baseball is a lot more fun when the Red Sox and Yankees are good. Whether we want to admit that or not is beside the point; right now Boston and New York are in a dead heat atop the A.L. East, and it’s a race everyone will be glued to the rest of the year.

It’s a little like Game of Thrones, where the subplot of Red Sox-Yankees leads to a greater existential battle against the Houston Astros. For now, the battle atop the East is a throwback to when the rivalry was everything.

A lot has been made about the Yankees making a deal to bolster (see also: clamp the bleeding) it’s starting rotation. Don’t sleep on the Red Sox making a move in the shadows — one that could be a light that brightens their chance of winning a division crown.

According to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, Boston is doing work on Zach Britton, Baltimore’s Cy Young caliber closer. The caveat is that Britton wouldn’t come to Boston in the same role, rather he’d set up Craig Kimbrel.

That’s a potentially devastating one-two punch for the backend of the Sox bullpen and seems like a blueprint ripped from other top contenders. The Indians made it to the World Series two years ago riding Andrew Miller’s bullpen while the Yankees almost knocked off the Astros last year in the ALCS with the league’s best reliever corps.

Doing business within the division is always a dicey prospect, but there should be nothing stopping the Orioles from selling off everything they can to anyone who gives them the best deal. Baltimore is about to blow everything up and rebuild, something losing Manny Machado either in a deadline trade or free agency will ensure. Unloading Britton, who is good enough to offer a decent return, is a no-brainer in this context.

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Whether his final destination is Boston, that’s another story. But if the Red Sox can swing a deal it could be something that puts them over the top.

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