Zack Britton
Age: 34
B/T: L/L
2022 Traditional Stats: 3 G, 0-0, 0.2 IP, 13.50 ERA, 10.500 WHIP, 1 SO, 6 BB
2022 Advanced Stats: 46 ERA+, 27.11 FIP, 13.5 SO/9, 11.1 SO%, 66.7% BB, -0.1 WAR
Rundown
Zack Britton was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut in 2011 and recorded a 4.61 ERA with 97 strikeouts in just over 154 innings. It took the lefty a few years to find his feet in the big leagues but, when he did, the results were hugely impressive.
From 2014 to 2020, Britton carved out a reputation for being one of the best relievers in all of baseball and he was untouchable at times. He posted a stellar 1.65 ERA in 2014 with 37 saves in 76 1/3 innings with 62 strikeouts. He then followed that up with a 1.92 ERA to go along with 36 saves and 79 strikeouts in 2015, earning his first-trip to the All-Star Game.
Britton’s best season to date came in 2016. He was pretty much invincible as he recorded a career-high 47 saves with an impressive 0.54 ERA. Britton also struck out 74 batters and walked just 18 on his way to becoming an All-Star for the second-straight year. He also finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting and 11th in AL MVP voting. The lefty was crowned both the 2016 AL Rivera Reliever of the Year, and the 2016 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year.
Following another solid year in 2017, Britton was traded to the New York Yankees in July 2018 for pitching prospects Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers and Cody Carroll. As he did in Baltimore, Britton dominated in The Big Apple as he finished the 2018 season with a 2.88 ERA in 25 games in the pinstripes, before posting a 1.91 ERA the following season. And Britton continued to produce the goods in 2020, recording eight saves and finishing the COVID-19 shortened season with a mighty-fine 1.89 ERA.
During his time with both the Orioles and the Yankees, Britton displayed time and time again that he had filthy stuff and could come up clutch in high-leverage situations. He absolutely dominated over a number of years and was a lethal weapon out of the bullpen. Relying on a deadly sinker and slider combo, Britton earned his reputation as one of the best and most reliable relievers in baseball in recent years.
However, things began to fall off a cliff for Britton after the 2020 season. He posted a bloated 5.89 ERA in 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Britton did return in 2022 but struggled in three games with a 13.50 ERA before eventually being shut down for the year because of left arm fatigue. He has pitched just 38 innings since the 2020 season and hasn’t really had his best stuff since 2020.
Contract
There is no doubt that Britton’s value is at an all-time low. After all, he has hardly pitched since 2020 and, when he has, the results were far from pretty. As a result, the veteran faces a prove-it year in 2023 and he will probably have to take a contract that reflects that harsh reality.
It is believed that Britton is seeking a one-year deal in 2023 and the average annual salary is going to be low. While the last couple of years have been concerning, the lefty reliever’s overall resume is impressive and it could well prove to be a low-risk, high-reward type of deal for any team in need of bolstering their bullpen.
Recommendation
Despite signing star closer Edwin Díaz to a five-year, $102 million contract, and then signing veteran reliever David Robertson to a one-year, $10 million deal, the Mets still need plenty of reliever help. There’s plenty of question marks over this bullpen as it is currently constituted and, as we’ve seen time and time again, you can’t win without a very good to elite bullpen.
Britton could tick a lot of boxes for the Mets. For starters, he’s a lefty arm and that is something this team has needed for quite some time. Britton would finally tick that box and would bring some much-needed balance to the bullpen.
Secondly, the 34-year-old was one of the best relievers in all of baseball not that long ago and he still had filthy stuff in 2020. He’s proven on the biggest stage having excelled in New York with the Yankees and Britton would bring an absolute wealth of experience to this Mets bullpen. He’s also allegedly considered a highly-respected leader in the clubhouse and he would be the perfect fit for the type of culture this organization is trying to build under manager Buck Showalter.
Of course, the injuries are a concern as is the fact that Britton has hardly pitched since 2020 and he’s struggled since undergoing Tommy John surgery. However, the body of work is there and the talent is clearly still there. If Britton can stay healthy in 2023, then he could be a real nice upgrade for this bullpen and provide the elite lefty arm that the Mets have long craved. This team is ready to win now and adding a tried and tested and vastly experienced reliever would only bolster their chances of enjoying success next year. Plus, Britton will come cheap this off-season and he could represent incredible value if he’s able to stay healthy in 2023 and get back to the formidable pitcher he was only a few years ago.
