Will the search for a starting pitcher lead to the Orioles bullpen?

There is some logic behind the thinking that Zach Britton should return to the Orioles rotation.

The reasoning goes that the Orioles may need a left-hander in the rotation if Wei-Yin Chen leaves via free agency. And a rotation that ranked next to last in ERA in the American League last year could use a boost and infusion of a talent like Britton.

But should the Orioles rob Peter to pay Paul, as Buck Showalter might say? Should they remove one of the AL's best closers from that role? Could Britton even make the transition in one offseason from a closer pitching 70 innings to a starter where 175 to 200 innings may be needed?

If Britton can be so dominant for three or more outs as a closer, some fans wonder why not have him get 18-20 or more outs as a starter?

Britton, of course, was drafted and developed as a starter and pitched in that role in the O's organization from 2006 to 2013. He was once a promising prospect with a bright future. Baseball America rated him as the sport's No. 63 prospect at the end of the 2009 season and No. 28 in their top 100 after 2010.

When Britton was 5-2 with an ERA of 2.35 through 10 starts in late May 2011, some figured Britton was on his way to realizing his vast potential. But injuries and inconsistency both got in the way of that potential. We know the rest of the story, how Britton went to spring training in 2014 out of options and eventually replaced Tommy Hunter as closer. Britton has turned into one of the AL's best in that role.

In 2015, he went 4-1 with a 1.92 ERA and finished tied for third in the AL with 36 saves. Lefty batters hit .145 off him and right-handed batters hit .243. He recorded 24 straight saves from May 3-Aug. 10. Britton led major league relievers in groundball percentage (80.4 percent) and ground ball-to-fly ball ratio (8.47).

A look at Britton's career:

* As a starter: 4.86 ERA, .279 average against, .407 slugging, 1.524 WHIP, 5.9 strikeouts/nine innings.
* As reliever: 1.72 ERA, .199 average against, .269 slugging, 0.948 WHIP, 8.8 strikeouts/nine innings.

While I feel Britton does have the talent and potential to be a very good starter, there are questions about whether what he is doing now as reliever could translate to longer outings. It would be hard to hold the same velocity deep into games and hitters would likely be more effective hitting his sinker by getting two or three at-bats a game against that pitch. Also, it would be harder for Britton to maintain such a devastating sinker over multiple innings. He would need to resume throwing several secondary pitches we see much less now from him out of the bullpen.

The bottom line for me is that Britton has pitched too well in the closer role to change now. It would be a risk adding so many innings from one year to the next. It could possibly create a problem where there is not one right now.

For now, in the search for starting pitching, the Orioles should not look to the guy that gets the job done at the end of the game.