Orioles not interested in using Britton as starter
The Baltimore Orioles possessed one of baseball's best pitchers in 2016 in the form of closer Zach Britton, and although they could potentially utilize him in an area of need such as in their starting rotation, it doesn't seem likely they're ready to make the transition.
"That's something we've discussed internally, but I'm not sure it's something we are really interested in pursuing," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli at the general managers meetings.
"I'm not sure that's something Zach is interested in pursuing. He's worked really hard to perfect his sinker, and that's made him a premier pitcher."
Britton, who began his career as a starter, finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting, and could potentially help an Orioles rotation that was a weak spot for them last season. The Orioles ranked among the AL's worst starting rotations in ERA, walks, strikeouts, opponent's batting average, and WHIP.
Orioles 2016 AL Ranks among starters
| ERA-Rank | BB-Rank | SO-Rank | AVG-Rank | WHIP-Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.72-13 | 336-2 | 742-11 | .266-11 | 1.41-13 |
Although there is a clear need, Baltimore reportedly isn't going to address its rotation issues via free agency due to a lack of finances and the thin starting pitching market, but the team seems to value Britton more as a shutdown reliever than as a starter.
"The traditional way to build a pitching staff is to have a couple 200-innings guys in front, a setup man and closer - and you bookend those and it should prevent you from long losing streaks and help you secure the wins," Duquette said. "But there aren't that many 200-inning pitchers anymore. It's a rarity. So in some ways it's more prudent to have a stronger bullpen.
"(Putting Britton in the rotation is) an interesting idea and worth discussing, but I'm not sure it's a direction we are interested in going. But who pitched better than Zach Britton this year?"
Britton finished 2016 with a 0.54 ERA and was a perfect 47-for-47 in save chances.
After never posting an ERA under 4.61 as a starter, the 28-year-old was converted into a reliever in 2014, posting ERAs lower than 1.92 every season since, which also included 120 saves.