ESPN Buster Olney Blog

Weeks ago, the Phillies began the process of evaluating the market for starting pitching. Chan Ho Park, their No. 5 starter, was struggling, and so was 46-year-old wonder Jamie Moyer. The Phillies felt they had to start preparing for the possibility that they might need a veteran starting pitcher.

But now their need for a starting pitcher is acute, and probably immediate, because Brett Myers needs hip surgery. So the front office must now decide when a move should and will happen, especially so they can keep the window open for winning, as Jim Salisbury writes.

There are a range of avenues for the Phillies to explore, but in the end, there are probably very few reasonable options. They could try the easy route and phone the agent for unsigned future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, but the reality is that Martinez -- who had a 5.62 ERA in 20 starts for the Mets last season -- probably isn't a very good fit for their ballpark, considering his 0.66 groundball-to-flyball ratio, or for their staff. With Moyer essentially a five- to six-inning pitcher these days, the last thing the Phillies need is to acquire another starter who would consistently leave 9 to 15 outs on the table for the bullpen. And the Phillies probably will need a starting pitcher sooner than Martinez would be ready.

The Phillies could try to go after the two highest-profile pitchers discussed on the trade market, Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt. But it may be that Peavy won't accept a trade to Philadelphia (he already turned down Chicago), and in any event, the cost of a Peavy deal might be prohibitive for the Phillies, whose farm system is improving but is still seen as being relatively thin. And it might be that Houston owner Drayton McLane would ask for national park sites, in addition to prospects, as part of any Oswalt trade.

That could leave a couple of front-burner options: Erik Bedard of the Mariners and Brad Penny of the Red Sox.

Keep in mind, however, what Bedard represents to the Mariners franchise. In order to get the left-hander, the Mariners parted with, among others, center fielder Adam Jones, who has already established himself as an up-and-coming star with the Orioles, and pitcher Chris Tillman, who is regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in Triple-A. So Seattle is not going to settle for a modest package just to unload Bedard, who has allowed three earned runs or less in his nine starts this season and has a 2.48 ERA. In fact, it might behoove the Mariners to wait a little bit for the pitching market to play out and for Bedard to keep taking the ball and re-establishing himself as a dominant presence. On the face of it, the chances of the Phillies finding a relatively quick and reasonable deal for Bedard appear long.

On the other hand, they might have more luck in closing out a deal for Penny. The veteran right-hander hasn't pitched as well as his 5-1 won-loss record might indicate, but on the other hand, he has pitched better than you might think if you just looked at his 5.96 ERA. Penny seems to be benefiting from Boston's shoulder-strengthening program, and has quality starts in four of his past five outings. The Red Sox have a surplus of starting pitching, with Clay Buchholz dominating in Triple-A and John Smoltz about three weeks away from being ready to return to the big leagues.

And the Phillies might even have something the Red Sox would want: shortstop Jason Donald. Boston has been poking around considering possible shortstop options since Jed Lowrie was lost to injury earlier this season, and while rival executives like the potential match of a Red Sox-Pirates deal for Jack Wilson, there might be some concerns about Wilson's injury history.

Donald is younger, is solid defensively, and would be the perfect complement to Lowrie in the years ahead. He is a good prospect, but there are questions about how much he'll hit in the big leagues. Penny is a good pitcher with experience, and there are questions about whether he'll be able to stay healthy. These would be moderate solutions for both teams, and Thursday night, one rival evaluator -- who is not involved in any Red Sox-Phillies conversations, and is merely speculating from the outside -- thought the notion of a Penny-Donald trade discussion was reasonable.

"It would make sense," said the evaluator. "With [Daisuke] Matsuzaka and Jon Lester pitching like they are -- and you never know about Smoltz's health -- I still don't think now is the optimum time for the Sox to trade Penny. I like Jason Donald. I think he could play short for the Sox. His ascension maybe would be a tad quick right now, but he is a better defender than either Nick Green or [Julio] Lugo now. He fits in perfectly when Lowrie gets back.

"Boston is going to have to eat Lugo's deal. Donald is from the University of Arizona, and he would be teamed with Dustin Pedroia of ASU. Donald has plus makeup and could play all three spots, but is a fit at SS. You can't expect a ton of offense right now, but he plays the game well and would be a long-term fit. He would fill a need for the Sox."

The Phillies could try to float along for awhile without adding a starter, but help is needed, and the longer Philadelphia waits, the greater the burden could be on the bullpen. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro must continue to try to win in 2009, as Salisbury noted, and he's dead right. The Phillies' window of opportunity for success is still wide open.

Peavy, Oswalt, Garland, Marquis, Duke, Bedard, Penny. All could be options.

Other trade chatter

The trade talk is gaining steam all over.

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