A couple of weeks ago I ventured a half start at who was ON the market for starting pitchers.  But the real question isn't whether Livan Hernandez or Boof Bonser are on the market or not, but whether there are any teams out there who could be in search of what a pitcher like those two have to offer:  reliability, stability, innings.

Whether it's good reliability or hand-wringing reliability, or good innings or bad innings, are the types of questions that could drive suitors to other options and other teams.  But I'm losing focus.

We can narrow our search to contenders, because those are the teams who will be looking to "buy" someone with those attributes for the back end of their starting rotation.  Teams looking to sell, or even those who are treading water, won't be after the services of anyone making millions more than their own youngsters who could likely perform just as well.  At least, they won't be looking to pick up a guy like Hernandez in the middle of the season, certainly not when it would mean handing over a prospect.

Of the contending teams in baseball, I've excluded anyone in the AL Central (mainly the White Sox at the moment, but all of them on principle) as well as the following clubs:

Red Sox:  Beckett, Lester, Wakefield, Matsuzaka, Masterson (also Bartolo Colon who's on the DL, and Clay Buchholz in the minors)
Yankees:  Pettitte, Mussina, Rasner, Chamberlain, Giese (also with Kennedy and Hughes in the minors, and Carl Pavano possibly back in a few weeks)
Rays:  Kazmir, Shields, Garza, Jackson, Sonnastine (the Rays look good for pitching, at least from this outsider's perspective, especially with Price on the rise)
Angels:  Santana, Saunders, Weaver, Lackey, Garland (also, in very good condition)
Athletics:  Harden, Blanton, Smith, Eveland, Duchscherer (simutaneously buyers and sellers, but they won't buy starting pitching...at least not what the Twins would sell)
Cardinals:  Piniero, Wellemeyer, Lohse, Looper, Boggs (and Wainwright on the DL, plus they're comfortable enough to consider cutting ties with Matt Clement...although earlier in June they were speculated to be looking for another starter, it's for an ace--not a Hernandez or Bonser)
Braves:  Apparently, they're no longer in the market for starters
Padres:  Neither buying nor selling at this juncture

After the jump, the teams who could use a guy like Boof or Livan.  The bad news:  there aren't many.  The good news:  even in a trade market where good, solid starting pitching will be available, the Twins might find someone interested.

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