Zach Britton has looked sharp in his last several outings with the Baltimore Orioles, and teams are showing an increasing interest in the left-hander heading into the trade deadline. The Atlanta Braves are reportedly one of those teams.
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Braves are searching for bullpen help and have expressed interest in Britton.
The #Braves have talked to the #Orioles about Zach Britton, so you can add them to the list of teams in the mix. Atlanta needs bullpen help and has a lot of talent in the system. A lot depends on how deep Alex Anthopoulos is willing to dig for a rental player.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 20, 2018
Contending teams are almost always looking for bullpen arms near the trade deadline, and the Braves are currently 52-42 and just a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
Britton ruptured his Achilles last December, and he is still trying to regain the form that made him one of the best closers in baseball for several seasons. The left-hander has looked very sharp in the month of July, recording three saves and a win in six appearances and lowering his ERA from 5.59 to 3.68. A team that was close to acquiring him last year is also said to still be interested, so the Orioles should have plenty of suitors as July 31 approaches.
