Should The Phillies Look Into Acquiring Zach Britton?
After missing out on the Manny Machado Trade Sweepstakes, the Phillies still have other needs to focus on ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline on July 31st. There are reports of the Phillies interest in Orioles' Left-Handed Relief Pitcher Zach Britton, who would be a welcome addition to the Phillies Bullpen. The 30 year old Britton is a two-time All-Star selection with a 3.23 Career ERA and 139 Saves in 259 Relief Appearances. This season the Phillies' Bullpen has a 4.36 ERA so the addition of another pitcher for the bullpen would be helpful for the 2018 Phillies down the stretch of the season.
USA Today Baseball Writer Steve Gardner joined Rich Quinones on Thursday discussing the Phillies need for help in the Bullpen:
"Bullpen is a big issue I think for the Phillies and something that if they have designs on making the playoffs and maybe winning a round or two, that’s where they need to look especially. Possibly Raisel Iglesias (2.36 ERA with 19 Saves this season) could be a guy they could target. The Reds are in a rebuild mode and they could use some young players. Brad Hand (is) already gone now to the Cleveland Indians....He certainly could have (come) in and taken that closer’s job and run with it. - So with him off the market, maybe you look at Zach Britton. I don’t think the price would be too terribly high just because Britton hasn’t done a whole lot this season. So there are several Closer types who are available and even if it’s not a Closer, just somebody to help bolster the bullpen would still help Philly."
Checkout what Gardner had to say about Manny Machado traded to the Dodgers, Bryce Harper's future, MLB Commissioner's comments about Mike Trout, and more