By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
With less than five full days until Monday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline, the trade market for relievers seems to be developing in a way that could be very beneficial for the Philadelphia Phillies in the long-run.
According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, contenders that were interested in Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton now appear to be looking to some of their secondary options, such as Phillies All-Star Pat Neshek:
Some Britton suitors have turned their attention to #Orioles Brad Brach, #Phillies Pat Neshek and other available relief targets.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 26, 2017
While there's an argument to be made that teams interested in Britton may be pushing this information to force the Orioles to get more realistic in their demands, there's little reason to think a Britton trade will come together in the next few days. Crasnick noted that the chances of a trade seem to get 'slimmer and slimmer' every day, especially when you consider that teams aren't sure how healthy Britton is.
Though trading Britton would seem to make the most sense for the team's future, the Orioles don't need to trade him either. Though them making the playoffs in 2017 seems pretty unlikely, they aren't completely out of the picture in the American League East or the Wild Card. Britton also isn't a free-agent until after 2018, meaning that the team may feel that despite their looming mass exodus of stars after next season, he could help them contend for one more season. They may also think his trade value will be higher in the offseason, when teams are more sure of his health.
In any event, the Orioles' indecisiveness on Britton could very well be the Phillies' gain. This past weekend, Crasnick reported that at least five teams were scouting Neshek, including potential suitors for Britton, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. The Phillies aren't going to get a franchise-altering return for Neshek, but the more teams that are seriously interested in his services, the better for general manager Matt Klentak as he tries to get the best return possible for the 36-year-old.
Britton staying put could be beneficial for the Phillies in another way as well.
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported in March that there has been substantive speculation around the league that the Phillies could be a suitor for Britton in free-agency after 2018. There's certainly a debate to be had about whether paying a closer who will be on the wrong side of 30 makes a ton of sense, and a lot could change between now and then from the Phillies' perspective. But if the Phillies are interested, it's better for them that Britton doesn't end up with a huge (or any) workload on his arm this postseason. The Orioles, who could also lose Manny Machado and Adam Jones after 2018, are also less likely to doll out a huge contract to retain Britton after next year than some other contenders would be if they acquired him. So him staying put may keep him in play after 2018 if the Phillies are interested.
Whether anything ever comes of the buzz about the Phillies potentially targeting Britton, teams viewing him as unattainable seems to work in the Phillies' favor now as they try to move Neshek.
