MLB trade rumors: Imagining Yankees-Orioles Zach Britton deal; Astros, Cubs, Dodgers in the mix?

by Felix Pantaleón

The Baltimore Orioles are shopping reliever Zach Britton before the July 31, 2018 (7/31/18) non-waiver trade deadline. Britton is the best reliever on the market, following the Mets’ deal which sent Jeurys Familia to the Oakland A’s. Several contenders, including the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, have shown some level of interest in Britton.

One down, at least one more to go for the Baltimore Orioles.

General manager Dan Duquette started selling off his best players last week, when he sent shortstop Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Next to pack his bags could be starter Kevin Gausman or reliever Zach Britton.

Several contenders, including the Yankees, have been linked to Britton, the best reliever available on the trade market before the July 31st non-waiver deadline.

Starting pitchers market analysis

The Baltimore Sun imagined what a Yankees-Orioles deal for Britton could look like. Here are the Yankees prospects who could be in play:

International standout: right-hander Deivi Garcia

The 19-year-old Garcia, signed for $200,000 in July 2015, is already at Low-A Charleston, where he has a 3.77 ERA, 44 strikeouts and eight walks in 28 2/3 innings. He was the Yankees’ No. 24 prospect this offseason, according to Baseball America, and he’s up to No. 14 on MLBPipeline.com’s list. The slight Garcia (5-10, 163 pounds) still has a low-90s fastball and a plus curveball.

Breakout bat: infielder Abiatal Avelino

Avelino, 23, has split time between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batting .303 with an .823 OPS, albeit with much better results at the lower level. He’s never hit consistently, but this would represent his best offensive season to date. He’s played primarily shortstop and second base, and he’s also been a stolen-base threat. The Orioles need all of that.

Breakout pitcher: right-hander Garrett Whitlock

The Yankees’ 18th-round pick last year, Whitlock was a draft-eligible sophomore coming off a down season last summer. The 22-year-old rebounded with a mid-90s fastball and a good slider coming from a 6-5 frame. He has a 1.46 ERA, 98 strikeouts and 25 walks with a 0.99 WHIP in 92 1/3 innings at three levels this year.

Several contenders, including the Boston Red Sox, are in the mix for Britton, who’s 1-0 with four saves and a 3.45 ERA in 16 appearances this season.

But the AL East rivals are not alone in the Britton sweepstakes, per MLB.com:

As things stand on Monday night, Boston is not a frontrunner to land Britton. Multiple sources told MLB.com that the Astros and Cubs remain the most aggressive clubs for the lefty’s services, though the situation is fluid. And the Yankees’ interest — which first arose on Monday night — is also legit, a baseball source confirmed to MLB.com as New York tries to close the gap on Boston.

The Orioles are talking with a lot of teams about Zach Britton, including the Dodgers — and given that the Dodgers are working to stay under luxury-tax threshold, Yasiel Puig’s inclusion (plus more) is one concept that has been raised to offset Britton’s remaining salary.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 24, 2018

Zach Britton’s last eight appearances:
8 innings
3 hits
4 walks
6 strikeouts
0 runs
Average astball velo has climbed to 95-96 mph.https://t.co/hFmzay9s1v

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 24, 2018