Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton has been one of baseball's best closers the past few years now and is a sought after name. Britton (29) is reportedly on the trading block again as the Orioles are looking to possibly sell some pieces. He was talked about frequently during last year's trade deadline, but he ultimately remained in Baltimore.
It was reported this morning by Jon Heyman that the Cubs and Dodgers were inquiring about the All Star closer in a possible trade. The Chicago Cubs are interesting because Wade Davis is a free agent and will be likely asking for a big payday.
Theo Epstein traded Jorge Soler for Davis before the 2017 season, and if he leaves via free agency the Cubs will need a closer.
cubs and dodgers are among teams showing interest in zach britton, who's back on the block. https://t.co/NF2DNe74kA
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 13, 2017
Britton's value
Zach Britton has had a number of good seasons in recent years. His value was at its peak in 2016 when he recorded 47 saves and pitched to a 0.54 ERA, 0.836 WHIP and 1.94 FIP in 67.0 innings. Last year, he missed some time due to injury and was not quite as dominant as he was in 2016, but he still sported a 2.89 ERA and 3.40 FIP in 37.1 innings, which still is not bad. A big statistic that stands out is that he walked the same number of batters (18) last year as he did in all of 2016, which is practically half the number of innings.
Will he ever be the 2016 Britton? Probably not quite that, as those were some historic numbers. However, it is very realistic to think that he can have another All Star, top-closer campaign or two in the future playing a full healthy season. Last year, he was paid $11,400,000, and this year he is in his third-year of arbitration eligibility before he will become an unrestricted Free Agent in 2019.
Can the Cubs do it?
There are a lot of questions to ask. First of all, the Cubs have MLB ready pieces that are young and that would draw interest from the Orioles. The Cubs farm is not quite as stacked as it once was as many pieces are either in the majors or have been traded for veteran assets. However, there are still some names in the farm that might draw interest.
With Britton likely going to make over $12 million next year, the Orioles could part with Britton to relieve some salary with a potential trade. Overall, the Cubs have assets to trade, and it depends on how badly they want Britton and how badly the Orioles want to get his salary off the books and concentrate on fixing their rotation. There could be some time of continued talks between the two teams before a deal could be done or both sides say forget it. It is something that cannot be fully counted on to happen, but it should also not be ruled out right now.
