Philadelphia Phillies Inside Pitch

To avoid the appearance of tampering or other improprieties that may be leveled against a general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't comment on players from other teams. But he was asked during the winter meetings in Indianapolis if it's feasible for the Phillies to make a "major deal" involving a "high-profile starting pitcher."

In other words, can they trade for Roy Halladay?

"I mean, is there any way possible? I guess there is," Amaro said, never uttering Halladay's name. "Is there a likelihood of us getting involved in something that big? Probably not."

For now, the Phillies are focused on filling their need for late inning relief help, but the free agent options have dwindled. During the winter meetings, Rafael Soriano, Rafael Betancourt, LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon came off the market.

Lyon, a 30-year-old right-hander with closer experience, drew significant interest from the Phillies, who were outbid when Astros general manager Ed Wade, Amaro's old boss and mentor, made a three-year, $15 million offer.

"We were in there pretty deep," Amaro said about the negotiations with Lyon. "Ed stole him from us."

Thus, the Phillies are left to consider a free agent field headed by Mike Gonzalez, Jose Valverde and Fernando Rodney, all of whom are seeking closer-type contracts and may not want to be eighth-inning relievers for the Phillies. The Phillies also have had conversations with representatives for less expensive Octavio Dotel and J.J. Putz; the latter likely will receive an incentive-laden contract after having elbow problems in 2009.

Some of Amaro's most productive discussions in Indianapolis were regarding 42-year-old John Smoltz, who could be useful to the Phillies as a late inning reliever or a back-of-the-rotation starter but always has been an outspoken critic of Citizens Bank Park's cozy dimensions.

And then there's Chan Ho Park, who posted a 2.52 ERA in 38 relief appearances for the Phillies last season. The Phillies have been negotiating with Park's representatives, but the sides have been unable to agree on the 36-year-old right-hander's value. Park made $2.5 million last season, and the Phillies aren't willing to give him more than a modest raise.

Asked if he has been surprised by the contracts handed out to relievers, Amaro said he isn't.

"Supply and demand," he said. "There aren't that many quality arms out there. When you start having 30 teams out there looking for the same thing, that tends to change and move the market."

But Amaro said this week that one way to indirectly bolster the bullpen is to improve the rotation. The most effective way to do that would be to trade for Halladay, who has 130 wins, a 3.13 ERA, 46 complete games and an average of 213 innings over the past eight seasons.

Halladay and the Phillies have long expressed a mutual interest (Halladay wants to pitch for a World Series contender that trains near his Oldsmar, Fla., home), and the Phillies have enough depth in their farm system to make a deal. If the Red Sox and the Yankees aren't motivated to trade for Halladay, the Blue Jays won't have as much leverage to demand multiple upper-level prospects.

The Phillies would have to create space in the payroll to afford Halladay, who will make $15.75 million this season. But they made it known during the winter meetings that they'd be willing to trade arbitration-eligible right-hander Joe Blanton, who could make at least $7 million in 2010.

So, although Halladay-to-the-Phillies may be unlikely, the rumors won't go away.