Phillies Notes: What would Halladay cost?

Ricciardi declined to name the teams with whom he has spoken about Halladay, but he made it clear that he is looking for young, inexpensive, premium talent.

Baseball sources said the Phillies have been in regular contact with Toronto about Halladay and are serious players in the sweepstakes to land him. Sources said that the two teams spoke Monday night, before Ricciardi publicly declared that he would listen to offers for the pitcher.

It has been speculated that Halladay would require a contract extension beyond 2010 to waive his no-trade clause, but that is not a certainty. Halladay has said he is eager to play for a winning team, and that might push him to approve a deal without an immediate extension.

The Phillies do not have a player in their farm system generally regarded as a "can't miss" prospect, a player like Matt LaPorta, who helped the Milwaukee Brewers acquire pitcher CC Sabathia last summer. But they have several highly touted prospects, including pitcher Kyle Drabek and outfielders Michael Taylor and Dominic Brown.

Though manager Charlie Manuel is eager to add a pitcher, he mentioned one player he would be reluctant to lose.

"It'd be tough for me to trade Drabek," Manuel said of the 22-year-old righthander. "I like Drabek because he's strong in his legs and his hips and he's a drop-and-drive kind of pitcher. I'm not a pitching coach, but I like his mechanics and I like where he comes from and he's a strong-bodied kid, like a Tom Seaver type or a Bartolo Colon, and he's got that kind of stuff. And he's young, and I think he has a big upside to him."

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to discuss specifics of a potential deal, but acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the present and future. "There are some untouchables in our system," Amaro said. "We feel that we are building a pretty strong farm system. . . . It is important to win now, and we understand the importance of that. But that said, there are players that we would like to keep for our future."

Amaro also said he would be reluctant to trade players from the major-league roster.

The many uncertainties and variables make this potential trade as difficult to execute as any, and one thing is abundantly clear: Ricciardi feels no urgency to deal his ace, and will only do so if he receives an offer that overwhelms him.

Tight lips on Pedro

Amaro was unwilling to discuss his interest in free-agent pitcher Pedro Martinez, whom the Phils scouted in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. "We are trying to do what we can to add to our club," Amaro said, "and if we feel at the end of the day that Pedro is going to help us, then we'll make a run at him."

Asked if he received reports that would indicate whether Martinez would help the Phils, Amaro declined further comment. He said that if the team was interested in the 37-year-old righty, it would be as a starter.

Injury report

Raul Ibanez (groin strain) is expected to play one more rehabilitation game today for triple-A Lehigh Valley and could join the team on Friday. Manuel said he hoped Ibanez would play two games for the Phils this weekend and appear in Tuesday's All-Star Game. . . . Righthander Clay Condrey said the strained muscle in his side is feeling much better, and the team said he would soon begin a three-game rehabilitation assignment in Florida. . . . Manuel confirmed that New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran (knee) will miss the All-Star Game.

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