Does Britton make it past today's deadline?

The non-waiver trade deadline is 4 p.m. today, the last chance for teams to deal players without first passing them through waivers.

Nothing has really changed with Zach Britton's situation. There are numerous teams checking on him and the Orioles want a hefty return. No one is certain whether he's going to be traded. It could go either way, depending on the offers.

Does any of this sound familiar?

How much more can be written about Britton?

The Dodgers, Astros and Cubs have been serious suitors. The Cubs, however, are getting left-hander Justin Wilson from the Tigers. The Nationals want Britton, but it would be a hard sell to ownership. There's some bad blood.

Scouts shouldn't question whether Britton is healthy. He hasn't experienced any discomfort in his left forearm/elbow since before coming off the disabled list. His fastball touched 98 mph yesterday while he recorded the save in a 10-6 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Park.

Britton also worked back-to-back days for the first time since April. 13-14. It's true that he didn't go a full inning, facing only one batter Saturday night and two on Sunday, but manager Buck Showalter was trying to get Kevin Gausman a complete-game shutout.

You could argue that showcasing Britton is more important, but the rotation has been a disaster and Gausman finally has gotten on a roll with three consecutive quality starts. He crafted a gem on Saturday and deserved the chance to finish up, falling an out short when the Orioles failed to catch a popup behind shortstop while in the shift.

Gausman appreciated the gesture, especially after walking the leadoff hitter. Showalter stuck with him.

The three outs recorded by Britton over the weekend came on a strikeout and two ground balls. Anyone who watched him should have come away impressed.

Suggestions that Britton may not be fully recovered have got to irritate him. He feels back to normal and is ready to take the ball whenever the phone rings. He doesn't need to be protected any more than usual, with Showalter always careful not to abuse his bullpen.

Showalter made it a point to tell reporters yesterday that Britton would be available Monday night in the series opener against the Royals at Camden Yards.

Taking two of three games from the Rangers has left the Orioles four below .500, 5 1/2 games back for the second wild card and 6 1/2 behind the first-place Yankees. Trading Britton or Brad Brach obviously weakens a bullpen that's trying to get Darren O'Day back on track.

O'Day surrendered another home run yesterday, the fourth in his last six appearances. The six home runs this season are one short of matching his career high.

O'Day's ERA increased to 4.91 in 36 2/3 innings.

Still no word on Jeremy Hellickson's first start with the Orioles, with Wednesday's spot in the rotation listed as TBD. He should be available to the media this afternoon because he never made it to Arlington.