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Britton announced his retirement from professional baseball Monday, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports. Arm injuries limited Britton in the last few seasons of his career, but he had a seven-year stretch as one of the best relievers in baseball, posting a 1.84 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 347:133 K:BB over 367.1 innings from 2014 through 2020. The southpaw saved 153 games over that stretch, made two All-Star teams and finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2016.
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Britton's simulated game Thursday in California will be attended by the Mets, John Harper of SNY.tv reports. The free-agent reliever is a favorite of manager Buck Showalter's from their time together with the Orioles and could represent a bullpen reinforcement in the wake of Edwin Diaz's knee injury. Britton has battled many injuries himself in recent seasons, and it's questionable whether how much he has left in the tank, but he might be worth a roll of the dice for the Mets or another team on a minor-league deal.
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Britton will throw a simulated game Thursday in an attempt to draw interest from several teams, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Eight teams will reportedly be in attendance for Britton's showcase, though the identity of those clubs hasn't been revealed. The 35-year-old lefty battled frequent injuries during the past two seasons, logging just 19 innings and generating a bloated 6.16 ERA and 2.00 WHIP across 25 appearances over that span.
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Britton (shoulder) threw a bullpen session as part of a showcase event Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Giants, Angels, Mets, Dodgers, Cubs and Rangers were the six clubs that had representatives on hand to monitor Britton. The left-hander is one of the best remaining free-agent relievers on the market, but injuries have limited him to just 25 appearances over the last two seasons, and his 2022 campaign ended in October because of fatigue in his left shoulder. A former closer, Britton is likely looking at a setup role with whatever club he lands with, but a return to his form before his injury-riddled seasons would be a major boon for that bullpen.
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Britton was placed on the 60-day injured list with left shoulder fatigue Saturday. Britton was removed from Friday's relief appearance due to his shoulder issue, and the injury will force him to miss the remainder of the regular season and the entire postseason. The southpaw made just three major-league appearances in 2022 and allowed a run on a hit and six walks while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning. Jacob Barnes' contract was selected to take Britton's place in the bullpen.