Showalter: Britton expected to miss entire 1st half of 2018

The Baltimore Orioles already knew they'd be without closer Zach Britton for a big chunk of time after the 30-year-old ruptured his right Achilles during a workout in mid-December.

While initial reports mentioned a four-to-six month recovery timetable, Orioles manager Buck Showalter provided some insight on just how long his absence would be.

The Orioles skipper told Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com that he expects Britton to miss the entire first half of 2018.

Showalter said the timetable is right on schedule for the left-hander, who is also set to attend spring training in Sarasota.

The 29-year-old Britton has been one of the most dominant closers in the majors since converting to the role in 2014. He's saved 135 games since making the change and owns a 1.58 ERA as a reliever.

He's set to become a free agent at the end of 2018, and was receiving trade interest from multiple teams before the injury.

In 2016, the two-time All-Star finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting after saving 47 games and allowing just four earned runs in 67 innings.

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette mentioned Brad Brach and Mychal Givens as a "capable combo" who could fill in at closer in Britton's absence.