The rumors have been swirling in Philadelphia about a new starter coming to town. Unfortunately for teams looking for pitching help like the Phils don’t have much to work with now that CC Sabathia has been shipped to Milwaulkee. Erik Bedard and AJ Burnett are the most notable names in trade talks surrounding the Phils, but could their best option be a former Phillie not named Randy Wolf?

Erik Bedard is one of the biggest names available approaching this year's trade deadline. (STEVE NESIUS /AP)

Erik Bedard, 29, is 6-4 this season with a 3.67 ERA. He looks good on paper, but his health has been a concern. Pat Gillick is rumored to have asked for a discount on Bedard, who is battling shoulder problems. That could be an employee discount though. It is believed that after this season is over, Gillick will go back to Seattle as a consultant. Mike Missanelli spoke to the injured, but not injured enough for the DL, pitcher about possibly coming to town. If he’s healthy, yes, he could do very well for the Phils. However, the Phils might not want to mortgage their future on Bedard as he is only signed through the remainder of the 2008 season.

31-year-old AJ Burnett is also rumored as a possibility for the Fightin’s. The Blue Jays starter is 9-8 this season with an ERA over five. He is making a little over $13 million this season and has on opt-out clause in his contract after this season. His most recent win came Wednesday night despite giving up seven runs including six in the sixth frame.

With either of these pitchers, the Phillies would be taking a huge risk if they gave up young talent for a “rent-a-player” to get them through the rest of the regular season and make a run at the World Series. In a recent phillies.com article Assistant GM Mike Arbuckle said, “If it were a real top-line guy that was controllable for a while, the more willing we are to give up prospects. I won’t use specific names, but we won’t give up our top guys to get a run-of-the-mill fifth starter.” Those names he wouldn’t speak were highly touted pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco and outfielder Greg Golson.

Lohse is 10-2 this season and didn't make the All-Star team. (Scott Rovak/Cardinals)

Perhaps the best option for the Phillies hasn’t even been mentioned yet. Kyle Lohse turned down a three-year $21-million offer from the Phillies last season. When the Scott Boras client didn’t get a better offer he had to settle for a one-year deal for $4.25 million from the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has treated the righty well. He’s 10-2 this year with a 3.61 ERA and 56 punch-outs. The Phils know what he is capable of. When they acquired him last year he was fantastic, going 3-0 in 13 starts. While his availability hasn’t been widely reported, in an article where he responded to comments made by an apparently still bitter Pat Gillick, Lohse recently hinted (second to last paragraph) that he wouldn’t mind returning to the city of Brotherly Love.