ESPN Buster Olney Blog

Here are the statistical lines for two starting pitchers, compiled over a season:

Pitcher A: 132 innings, 124 hits, 2.73 ERA, 17 walks, 113 strikeouts
Pitcher B: 141 innings, 107 hits, 2.54 ERA, 34 walks, 95 strikeouts

Pitcher A is Roy Halladay, and these are his numbers for 2009, which will be much discussed over the next 10 days by the Phillies and many other teams.

Pitcher B is Justin Duchscherer. Those are his numbers from 2008. He has not pitched in 2009 after undergoing an elbow cleanup, but he is set to begin his minor league rehabilitation assignment and could be ready to pitch in the big leagues within a couple of weeks. The right-hander will be eligible for free agency this fall, and with Oakland in the process of trading off usable parts Duchscherer could be an intriguing alternative for teams that are looking for pitching help.

He has been often hurt in his career, but when Duchscherer is active and pitching, he usually fares pretty well, whether as a starter or a reliever. The 31-year-old has had four seasons of 55.2 or more innings, and his ERA has never been higher than 3.27 in those seasons. Twice he has made All-Star teams: once as a reliever, and once as a starting pitcher, most recently in 2008.

So if you're not interested in Carl Pavano or Brad Penny or some of the other names that hit the market in the next 10 days, or if you're looking for bullpen help, you could take a shot at Duchscherer, who has every reason to want to take the ball for the final six weeks of the season. He is making $3.9 million this year, so it would cost a team about $1.3 million to take him on for the final two months. A possible fit -- and this is pure speculation -- might be the Brewers, who are looking for pitching. And there's history: Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin acquired Duchscherer for catcher Doug Mirabelli years ago.

Why Philly should overpay

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