Cubs reportedly in talks to acquire All-Star closer |
Lefty reliever Zack Britton is certainly on the trade block as the Baltimore Orioles are an insane 39.5 games back in the American League East division.
According to MLB insider Bruce Levine, the Cubs are one of eight contending teams that are currently talking to the Orioles about their star reliever. Several of the teams that are reportedly interested besides the Cubs include the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Astros, Dodgers, and Indians. The Cubs have been connected as a trade target last offseason so this is more than just a wild rumor. Britton will be a free agent after the 2018 season, and the Orioles could be willing to move his contract of around $12-13 million for a few prospects. He would be a nice backup plan for the Cubs as current closer Brandon Morrow has some injury concerns with this back and you could always use a lefty and a veteran reliever in the playoffs. For the season, the 30-year old has a 3.68 ERA with four saves in 15 appearances. In 2017, Britton had a 2.89 ERA with 15 saves. Rewind to 2016; he had a fantastic year winning the Relief Man Award with 0.54 ERA with 47 saves. For his MLB career, he has a 3.23 ERA with 139 saves with 1.36 WHIP to go along with two All-Star appearances.
