Could Colorado Rockies Trade for Baltimore's Zach Britton?
There has already been some talk about the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles discussing a trade. However, the trade talks reportedly broke down when the Rockies started asking about Baltimore starting pitcher Kevin Gausman. But what if those trade talks were revived with the Rockies looking at the other end of the Baltimore pitching arsenal?
A recent ESPN article talked about how the time was right for the Orioles to trade off closer Zach Britton. Yes, the Zach Britton that was mentioned by some in Cy Young Award discussion after posting a 0.54 ERA and logging 47 saves for the Orioles last season. Yes, the Zach Britton that wasn’t used in Baltimore’s postseason loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, a decision that many still scratch their head about weeks later.
Also, this is the Zach Britton who has posted a sub-2.00 ERA in the past three seasons while recording 120 saves. Last year was by no means a fluke.
If the Rockies are looking to boost their bullpen, couldn’t Britton be a target to do just that? Absolutely, it would take a lot for the Rockies to pry Britton away from the Orioles. However, if the opportunity might be there and Colorado is in “win now” mode, wouldn’t it be worth it to explore the option?
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In this article, our friends over at Purple Row put together some potential trades to offer to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Jose Quintana. There were some intriguing options in there, including one that stood out to me.
Think about the Rockies offering some of their highest-ranked prospects to the Orioles in exchange for Britton. Those names could include Riley Pint, Jeff Hoffman and Raimel Tapia (the option from Purple Row I personally liked). You’re talking about two players with some Major League experience from last season as well as Pint, the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft. It’s a mixture of possibilities for the near- and long-term success of the club.
It’s also a scenario where the Rockies wouldn’t lose one of their All-Star outfielders as the names of Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez seem to be a constant feature of trade rumors.
Our FanSided cousins who cover the Baltimore Orioles at BirdsWatcher.com also discussed the possibility of trading off Britton in exchange for “building up the minor league system” in this article. They also talk about the Baltimore bullpen as a place of strength for the team and how others such as Brad Brach, Darren O’Day or Mychal Givens could become Baltimore’s closer in Britton’s absence.
There’s plenty to like about bringing Britton on board with the Rockies. Colorado has done well to stock its minor league system in recent years. While it’s always tough to lose some of those players, being able to acquire a Cy Young-caliber closer seems to be a gamble the Rockies should look at taking.
On Tuesday, Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich said that Colorado’s offseason was by no means over. Bringing Britton on board would solve one of his team’s biggest offseason needs in a big way.