Report: Cubs, Dodgers have spoken to Orioles about Britton

The Zach Britton sweepstakes are back.

The Baltimore Orioles' All-Star closer is reportedly back on the trade market, and sources told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports on Monday that both the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Britton and have already reportedly spoken with the Orioles about him.

At least two other unknown teams have also inquired about Britton's services, Heyman reports.

Britton emerged as a star for the Orioles thanks to a 2016 season that saw him post a 0.54 ERA and finish fourth in Cy Young voting. But his 2017 campaign didn't follow quite the same route.

While Britton was still effective in his role, the 29-year-old saw his ERA balloon to 2.89 and his WHIP spiked to 1.527 over just 38 games. In addition, his strikeout numbers dropped from 9.9 per nine innings in 2016 to 7.0 in '17, and he missed two months with a forearm strain early in the year.

Despite the injury, multiple teams - including the Dodgers - were pursuing Britton at this year's trade deadline, though he ultimately stayed put in Baltimore.

The Houston Astros reportedly had a deal in place to acquire Britton ahead of the July 31 trade deadline before it was apparently killed by the Orioles for unknown reasons.

Related - Duquette: Lack of return led Orioles to keep Britton

Britton is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, and will be a free agent at the end of the 2018 season. He earned $11.4 million last year.