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Orioles reportedly ready to trade top relief pitchers before deadline

Zach Britton

At 43-49 heading into Tuesday’s action, the Baltimore Orioles are clearly out of the playoff picture. They sit eight games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East and are 4.5 games out of the final wildcard spot in the league.

This has previously led to speculation that Baltimore might be ready to sell off some of its assets during what has otherwise been a lost season.

Now, according to this report from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Orioles’ owner Peter Angelos has given the team’s front office brass permission to trade some of its top relief pitchers.

Obviously, the biggest carrot Baltimore could dangle here is Zach Britton. The 29-year-old lefty pitched to a 0.54 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while saving 47 games for Baltimore last season. And despite missing a good chunk of this season’s first half, Britton has posted a 1.93 ERA in limited action. The Washington Nationals have most-recently been linked to Britton.

Though, Britton isn’t the only member of Baltimore’s bullpen that will draw interest. Thirty-year-old fellow lefty Richard Bleier has been sensational this season. He’s posted a 1.34 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 27 appearances. Meanwhile, Darren O’Day and fill-in closer Brad Brach could also bring a lot to the table for contenders as the season progresses.

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