'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABeAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAICAgMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQAEQYHEgUxAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEQACAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAhESAAMTIjL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AM+656Mv824fa+xQmStWtGRKliZwF3AR6Lxopf8ATrIe91Pzalds1nihd4JnjZkkj8kodEjZB1jGL5HR3M2LPJsA2ObWjJr61hB5JGf/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Zack Britton is coming off an extremely injury-riddled campaign where he only appeared in three games, to the tune of -0.2 fWAR and a 13.50 ERA. Despite that, the free agent lefty is expected to get a lot of interest in the waning free agent market.
According to NJ.com, Ken Rosenthal reported:
"According to sources with knowledge of the market but unauthorized to speak publicly, the teams with varying interest in left-handed relievers and varying amounts to spend include the Rangers, Angels and Astros in the AL West; Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays in the AL East; and Brewers, Cardinals and Cubs in the NL Central.”
Trending
Britton can be an extremely effective reliever when healthy. He has a dominant sinker and is one of the best groundball relievers in baseball. However, the last few years could hardly be classified as "healthy".
Britton recorded 61.1 innings in 2019. In the three seasons since, he's recorded a total of 38. The past two seasons haven't been very effective at all, either, as he had a 5.89 ERA the year before last.
Nevertheless, left-handed relief pitchers are valuable and Britton has a long career of being one of the best there is. Unfortunately, that long career makes a decline much closer than many teams would like.
Which MLB teams need Zack Britton?
Every MLB team needs a player like Zack Britton. He's an effective groundball pitcher who is also left-handed. Unfortunately, he's also injured and old.
The New York Yankees, his former team, probably don't need him. They have Wandy Peralta for left-handed situations and tons of other elite relievers, many of whom are also great at getting ground balls.
The New York Mets have a lot of interest, especially since manager Buck Showalter and Britton have a lot of history together.
The Boston Red Sox make a lot of sense. They need to shore up their bullpen, which was awful last year, and they're not expected to contend. It's a low-risk, high-reward move for a team like them.
The same can be said for the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels.
