We are going to blink our eyes and be on the threshold of the All-Star break and then the MLB trade deadline, which always provides fodder for plenty of rumor, conjecture and second guessing as teams try and unload soon-to-be free agents in an effort to rebuild, or give up on prized prospects in the hopes of winning NOW.

For a taste of all of the early trade rumors regarding the Phils, check out MLB Trade Rumors.

Pat Gillick had a long and successful history of picking up baseball’s version of character actors – solid veterans with so-so name recognition who could fill a void for the Phillies on the bench, the ‘pen or near the back end of the rotation.

There are plenty of good reasons for the Phillies to go hard after starting pitching prior to the trade deadline:

1. Brett Myers’ hip injury in last night’s loss to the Fish, plus his upcoming free agency after this season.
2. Jamie Moyer’s not-so-inspiring ’09 campaign.
3. Carlos Carrasco’s struggles at Lehigh Valley mean he could be a little further away from coming up than we’d like.
4. The need for a solid number 2 behind King Cole.

So the rumors regarding the Phillies looking for 1, maybe even 2, starting pitchers seems to be the right place to be focused as we steamroll toward July. Other than a reliable righthanded bat off the bench, starting pitching is all the Phillies need to zero in on. As Paul Hagen points out, the Phillies added a starting pitcher prior to the deadline in all 3 of Gillick’s seasons as the Phillies GM.

But the Phillies should be careful not to sit idly by and watch other teams snatch up marquee pitchers while they wait for this year’s Kyle Lohse to emerge and give them better than expected results en route to a third straight divisional title.

The Phillies, despite early season pitching woes, are well positioned in the division right now. They spent the last week in first place before relinquishing it by a half game to the Mets after Wednesday night’s games.

We all know that no National League team has won back-to-back World Series titles since the Cincinnati Reds did so over 30 years ago.

Adding a bonafide Number 1(a) or Number 2 starter would go a long way to improving the Phillies’ prospects for a repeat trip the postseason and the chance to turn 2008 from a dream season into the start of a dynasty.

Nothing worth fighting for comes cheaply, and getting the Phillies’ hands on Jake Peavy will take multiple prospects, plus (more than likely) picking up Peavy’s option in 2013. Todd Zolecki has a great breakdown of why a Peavy trade could or could not happen for the Phillies.

It’s well documented that the Phillies are loath to give pitchers long contracts, but Jake Peavy is also loath to move to the East Coast. The Phils may need to pony up to get him, but how could the Phillies not be the odds on favorites to win the National League after an acquisition like that? Is that worth a couple of solid prospects and a long term commitment to Jake Peavy? When you consider that the Phillies would be adding Peavy while shedding Myers, the net increase to payroll would seem to be justified for a team that is selling out the Bank nearly 75% of the time so far this year (17 of 23 home games).

If the Phillies can’t get Peavy, they should stick with the cream of the crop of the remaining options out there, including potentially Roy Oswalt or Erik Bedard.

After that, the talent pool thins, and while the Phillies most likely will snatch up some starter; any starter to give them depth, I’d just as soon see them stand pat instead of give up decent prospects for a starter who is no better than those already at the back end of the rotation.

C’mon Ruben. If you’re gonna fish, go deep sea. The window on this crop of Phillies will not be open forever. Let’s go for it.