Report: Diamondbacks interested in Orioles' Britton

Another team has entered the Zach Britton sweepstakes, as sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic the Arizona Diamondbacks are chasing the Baltimore Orioles closer.

Something that might help their cause, according to Rosenthal, is that Baltimore is familiar with Arizona's farm system thanks to trade discussions about former Oriole Manny Machado. The D-Backs had been pursuing Machado, who ended up getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, since the winter and both teams were talking for some time.

Arizona faces stiff competition to acquire Britton, however, as the Houston Astros are reportedly "all in" on trading for the pending free agent. The Chicago Cubs are also said to be deep in discussions on Britton with the Orioles.

The Diamondbacks have enjoyed solid production from their relief corps this season, but the team would still benefit from adding another late-inning arm. Plugging in Britton would allow Brad Boxberger, who has saved 24 games for manager Torey Lovullo, to move back into a set-up or mid-inning role and assist the usually reliable Archie Bradley, who's seen his ERA spike by over a run after some rough outings in July.

Britton has appeared in only 16 games this year because of offseason Achilles surgery. He owns a 3.45 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 2018, but the 30-year-old is starting to resemble his pre-injury self and hasn't allowed a run so far in July.

The Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies have also been linked to Britton this month.