Houston Astros: Now is the time to buy low on Zach Britton

The Houston Astros are battling to repeat as World Series champions. If the team wants to upgrade the bullpen to increase their odds, they should buy low on Zach Britton.

The Houston Astros pursuit of Zach Britton has literally been taking place for years. Last year, the Astros reportedly had a deal done to land the lefty reliever. However, the Orioles brass nixed the trade at the last minute over a failed physical.

The Houston Astros may have lucked out on not landing him last year. Britton has been injured the vast majority of the time since then. The most recent injury was a ruptured Achilles tendon. Fortunately, he is now recovered from that and is trying to get back to his pre-injury form.

So far in 2018, he has pitched in 13 games for 12.2 innings. Across that, he has collected a 4.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts. These numbers are a far cry from his heyday as an All-Star closer. From 2014 to 2016, he had a 1.38 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 120 saves, and 215 strikeouts.

While it would be nice, the Houston Astros don’t necessarily need him to be that good. The bullpen is in pretty good shape, in spite of yesterday’s blowup. The pen has a 2.80 ERA, good for second in the league, a 1.04 WHIP, and 10.79 K/9.

But, if the team is looking for another impact arm that could make an impact deep in the postseason, Britton is the guy to target. A lot of people, myself included, find it hard to part with top prospects to upgrade an already solid bullpen. However, adding Britton would be an upgrade and he wouldn’t cost a top prospect.

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Britton’s recent injury history and average performance post-injury combined with the fact that he is a half-year rental makes him a cheaper option. Brad Hand will cost a top prospect like Yordan Alvarez. As would the Reds’ closer Raisel Iglesias.

The Houston Astros could offer up some middle-level prospects like SS Jonathan Arauz, 3B Joe Perez, or RHP Framber Valdez. It may take some time and convincing for the Orioles to take a deal based on two of those three or similar players. At the end of the day, getting those guys in return for Britton is great value. Britton can walk at the end of the year and the Orioles get nothing. If they wanted a large return for him they should’ve dealt a year or two ago.

The Houston Astros are also a perfect fit for Britton. The team can bring him along slowly as he continues to try to regain his pre-injury form. He won’t be required to pitch in high leverage situations right away either. Plus, he is a tremendous ground-ball pitcher that will pair well with Houston’s outstanding defense. If Brent Strom can work some of his magic on Britton, the rest of the league will have to watch out.

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So, should Jeff Luhnow and company decide to try to add another arm, Britton is the obvious choice. He won’t rob the farm system of top prospects. He has the potential to be an incredible impact arm for the Houston Astros.

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