If Zach Britton were pitching like last year, the Orioles could receive a package back at least as strong as what the Yankees got for Andrew Miller, perhaps more because, at minimum, the super power Astros and Dodgers would be pushing hard to land him.

But he is not pitching like last year.

Britton missed from early May to early July with a left forearm strain. In his return, Britton’s velocity has returned to normal realms (he topped out at 98 mph on Wednesday night and averaged 96.9 with his sinker). But he also gave up two runs to the Rangers after giving up two runs earlier this month to Minnesota. Doesn’t sound like much, except he yielded just four earned runs all of last season.

“Britton is such a red flag for me,” said a scout from a team that badly wants to add top-flight relief. “Your medical people are going to earn every dollar if you agree to a trade for him. He is just not consistent. I am not sure if it is elbow or the fact that he missed two months and needs time to get consistent.

“But what scares me is the Orioles gave him all the time he needed to get healthy, gave him plenty of rehab outings and I am watching a guy who just pounded the bottom of the strike zone last year and now the ball is spraying all over the place too often.”

Like Mariano Rivera with his cutter, Britton in 2016 with his sinker dominated essentially with one pitch, amassing a 0.54 ERA and groundballs 80 percent of the time while going 47 for 47 in save chances. This season his groundball rate is still a strong 67.9 percent. But he has pitched just 16 innings, has yet to go on back-to-back games since his return and has had his strikeout rates fall and his walk rates rise significantly.

What made Miller so attractive – beyond his at-the-time excellence – was he was signed through 2018. Britton is not a free agent until after next year, as well, so an acquiring team would have him for two pennant races.

However, one top executive for a team that also wants to add a big-time reliever said, “His salary is only going to climb (for 2018) and if he gets hurt in the next two months, which is a serious consideration, you probably have to non-tender him and not have him next year.”

Both the Dodgers and Astros could make a case for adding another starter before 4 p.m. July 31. But that is not a particularly attractive market right now, plus in the postseason the value of a top reliever has only soared. Therefore both clubs are in similar situations to the Cubs and Indians last year – they know they are going to be in the playoffs and are looking for something that gets them though October, not to October. The Cubs added Aroldis Chapman in that situation, the Indians Miller, and both paid big prospect prices.

If right, Britton would probably close for the Astros, deepening an already talented group. For the Dodgers, he would go in front of Kenley Jansen, creating one of the best finishing combos ever.

Many teams, of course, would be interested in Britton. But many executives thought the wild card was the Rockies. Again, if right, Britton’s sinker becomes even more valuable in the altitude of Coors Field, plus if Greg Holland rejects his player option, Britton would just close next year.

But what will teams give up for this version of Britton? And how bad is that for the Orioles, whose farm system needs the kind of a reboot it would get with a healthy Britton?

As one official from an AL team that wants to add a reliever said, “No hitter wants to face [Britton], and no front office wants to pay for him.”