O's GM discusses Machado, Britton

Speaking on the Break Time podcast with ESPN's Buster Olney on Friday, Orioles general manager Dan Duquette discussed the trade value of both Manny Machado and Zach Britton -- both of whom have been linked to multiple rumors and are available ahead of the Deadline.
On Machado, Duquette noted that while the American League MVP Award candidate "in his heart of hearts sees himself as a shortstop," Machado is also "realistic" about his Gold Glove Award winning ability to play third base, the position many interested suitors would like to acquire him as.
Machado recently said that he is a shortstop when asked if he would move back to third for an acquiring club. However, Duquette tempered those assertions by attributing that Machado's competitive mindset and focus on where he's contributing currently was more at the forefront than a stern stubbornness to dictate where he'll play.
"I had to chuckle when I read it," Duquette said. "I'm gonna tell you this though many in his heart of hearts sees himself as a shortstop. He came up playing shortstop. He loves to play the position. He has the flair and that position gives him the opportunity to use his creativity in the field. But I think he's realistic."

Machado has been most prominently linked to the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers and D-backs over the recent days. Boston and New York, both AL East rivals of the Orioles, already have established shortstops in Xander Bogaerts and Didi Gregorius, respectively, and would likely acquire Machado to play third. Arizona and Milwaukee, however, have lacked production from shortstop in their respective lineups and would likely trade for Machado to remain at short. The Braves have also been linked to Machado, and would covet him at third. 
"As he matures, he's such a skilled third baseman," Duquette said of Machado. "I mean, unbelievable plays at third base. I've never seen anybody makes the plays at third base that he makes. I think he's realistic about that. But I think in his heart of hearts, Manny would love to play shortstop, but he's an awesome third baseman too."
Machado, who rose through the Minors as a shortstop but moved to third due to then-incumbent O's shortstop J.J. Hardy, won the AL Gold Glove Award at third in 2013 and '15. Most advanced defensive metrics suggest he's much better there as well. According to FanGraphs, Machado's minus-20 Defensive Runs Saved rank as the lowest among qualified shortstops this year. 

On Britton, who returned just over one month ago from an offseason Achilles injury, Duquette said there has been rejuvinated interest in the closer of late -- particularly following back-to-back saves against the Yankees this week. 
Britton, who works off a sinker-slider combo, has shown dramatic increase in his velocity in the last week alone. His sinker velocity has averaged at least 95 mph over his most recent three outings, according to Statcast™, well up from the 93 mph he was showing when he first returned. 
"Not only has his velocity improved, but you can measure that his sink has also improved too," Duquette said. "He's getting a lot more sink on his ball and that's what makes him an elite pitcher. Not just the velocity, but the movement and the sink within the strike zone, and Zach Britton has shown that he's steadily getting that back the last 10 days. He had back to back saves against the Yanks and he did a good job. I think that's when teams recognized that Zach Britton is back, and he can be a force in a pennant race for somebody."
Britton, who is a free agent after this season, has a 4.26 ERA over 13 outings, but that mark has been ballooned due to a four-run showing against the Braves last month. He's thrown a scoreless outing in 11 of his other 12 appearances. And it was only last summer that Britton set an AL record with 55 consecutive saves converted. In '16, he generated significant consideration for the AL Cy Young Award. 
The Phillies have been the club most notably linked to the left-hander of late, according to a report from NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Phils have a throng of promising arms in their bullpen, though many -- like the club as a whole -- lack postseason experience. Adam Morgan, who sports a 5.25 ERA, is the club's only other left-handed reliever.