"The Pirates would be willing to trade a starting pitcher, general manager Neal Huntington said this afternoon, but only if the price is right.

Huntington did not identify any starters, but he made reference to players close to free agency, and only Paul Maholm and Zach Duke fit that bill. Maholm has drawn interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers also have discussed another left-hander, Ted Lilly, with the Chicago Cubs.

"If the package is appropriate for one of our starting pitchers, we are willing to consider a move," Huntington said in an interview with the Post-Gazette. "If the interest is in one of our starting pitchers who is one year away from free agency, that shifts the tolerance accordingly as we would be able to re-invest their potential dollars into a major-league starting pitcher -- via trade or free agency -- and add valuable multiyear pieces to our major-league club and/or system. Again, we will need to feel good about the return to make a move."

Major League Baseball's trading deadline is 4 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow.

The Pirates also have heard from teams -- for weeks now -- about veteran relievers Octavio Dotel, Javier Lopez and D.J. Carrasco."