The race to land Orioles lefty Zach Britton appears to be heating up. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports the sweepstakes for the two-time All-Star looks like it's down to the Red Sox, Astros, Yankees and Cubs. It was first reported last week the Red Sox were eyeing Britton to blossom their bullpen.
Britton, who's pitched in 16 games since tearing his achilles earlier this year, is maybe the most-coveted reliever still on the market –– with Kelvin Herrera, Brad Hand and Jeurys Familia all getting dealt within the last several weeks. Britton was perhaps the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball just two years ago, leading the league in saves (47) and finishing fourth in Cy Young voting. The left-hander only allowed one run over his final 40 appearances.
In 2018, Britton has a 3.45 ERA in 16 appearances.
According to Crasnick, the Astros and Yankees have both sweetened their offers. That could be problematic for the Red Sox, given their depleted farm system. Last week, the Globe's Nick Cafardo reported the Orioles were scouting third baseman Michael Chavis, the Red Sox' top positional prospect who missed 80 games with a PED suspension.
The Red Sox are in the midst of a three-game set against the Orioles at Camden Yards.
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