Yankees deal for Zach Britton

While it may have seemed like Brian Cashman would have done anything in his power to add Manny Machado onto his team, his focus before the deadline remained clear: add pitching. Yesterday, the New York Yankees traded for Baltimore Orioles reliever Zach Britton in a deal that sent pitching prospects Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll and Josh Roger to Baltimore. Yankee fans, including myself would have rather seen Cashman trade for a starter, but the addition of Zach Britton is a step in the right direction for a few reasons.

The Yankees now have one of the most talented bullpens in the American League. The three headed monster of Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and David Robertson has been pitching well, especially Chapman who is currently top 3 in American League saves. Chasen Shreve has recovered from his abysmal start to the season, and the rest of the bullpen has rounded out to form. Adam Warren, A.J. Cole and Chad Green have been pitched well, and Jonathan Holder has been stellar this year, posting a 1.76 ERA over 41 innings, with 36 strikeouts. This team is in a position where they feel confident their bullpen can hold a lead for Chapman or another big name at the end of the bullpen. 

Zach Britton adds another dimension to this cast of pitchers. After battling injuries for the past two years, the 30 year old left hander found himself in a closing role in Baltimore, beginning his season in June. While his ERA is 3.45, Britton has only given up 6 earned runs, putting up 0's in the run column in his last seven appearances, and posting 13 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. He had two bad appearances in June, but has since proved himself as one of the better relievers in the league so far.

I am a big fan of this trade, because it adds a fear factor to the bullpen. Now the Yankees, realistically only need their starter to get to the 6th inning. If in a close game they can have a lead in the 6th, manager Aaron Boone could choose to overkill the opponent with Robertson in the 6th, Britton in the 7th, Betances in the 8th and Chapman closing the game in the 9th. One of the things I've liked about Boone in his first campaign as manager is that he has not been afraid to throw Robertson, Betances and Chapman all in the same game, displaying his will to win. Adding Britton makes this bullpen one of the most dangerous in the game, and the added factor that both the Astros and Red Sox were going after Britton as well makes this trade all the more sweet. 

The next step for Cashman should be to find a starting pitcher he doesn't have to overpay for. Chris Archer is rumored to be on the move out of Tampa Bay, and would be a valuable asset to pitch behind Severino. For now, the Jacob DeGrom rumors have cooled off, but another mets ace, Zach Wheeler, seems to also be on the block and a target of the Yankees. Either of these two pitchers would make great additions to fix the Yankees starting rotation, the one aspect of the team holding them back from title contention.