Chicago Cubs Rumors: Is team looking to buy low on O’s Zach Britton?

Chicago Cubs: Putting together a super bullpen for October?

Last summer, the Cubs acquired Justin Wilson. That deal could have given Chicago the best bullpen in the National League. Instead, Wilson went up in flames and didn’t even make the team’s NLCS roster.

If the Cubs went out and pulled the trigger on former elite lefty Zach Britton, though, you’d have to feel pretty good about what you’re getting. Sure, he’s working back from injury. That’s the real risk in trading for him.

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Over his last seven appearances, Britton has not allowed an earned run. In fact, his 3.95 ERA can largely be attributed to his June 22 clunker, in which he allowed four earned, lasting just 1/3 of an inning. Take that away and you have a guy who’s allowed a mere two earned runs over 13 2/3 innings of work.

From 2014 to 2017, Zach Britton epitomized dominance. He made 242 appearances, pitching to a minuscule 1.61 ERA and 259 ERA+.

The two-time All-Star finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting two years ago, when he put up an unthinkable 0.54 ERA, earning 47 saves in the process.

The Cubs have the ninth covered with Brandon Morrow. But given Britton hits free agency at season’s end, adding him to the mix along with Pedro Strop as a shutdown seventh and eighth-inning arm could give Maddon a bullpen any manager would envy come October.