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If ever the Marlins were to move left-hander Dontrelle Willis, the time is now.
The White Sox's signing of left-hander Mark Buehrle to a four-year, $56 million contract extension further depressed the trade market, removing the best available starting pitcher from consideration.One general manager left the Futures Game at AT&T Park on Sunday astonished by the lack of trade conversation. Too many coveted players are injured, the GM said. Too many are unavailable. Too many are signed to long-term deals.
While White Sox GM Ken Williams said he could have said "yes" to offers for Buehrle from multiple teams, interested clubs held back in part because they are willing to trade top prospects only for a pitcher they could keep long-term.
Willis, 25, is not a free agent until after the end of the 2009 season. The Mets and Mariners want him far more than they wanted Buehrle, and so might the Dodgers and Red Sox. Other clubs — the Rockies and Diamondbacks, to name two — also are interested.
The Marlins, in other words, could name their price, perhaps even land their desired catcher/center fielder combination. Yet Larry Beinfest, their normally aggressive GM, told one colleague last week, "If I had to guess I'd say we wouldn't do anything."
Any trade of Willis would need to be approved by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. It's understandable that the team — seven games out in both the NL East and wild-card races — is not yet ready to concede.
Still, the Marlins are fourth in the division, seventh in the wild-card standings. Does anyone seriously expect them to contend for the World Series title?
The truth is, the Marlins already might have waited too long to move Willis, who is only 19-19 with a 4.16 ERA since the start of last season.
His 2007 splits are downright frightening: Willis is holding opposing left-handed hitters to a paltry .315 on-base/slugging percentage, but right-handed hitters are abusing him for a .900 OPS.
It's possible that Willis, if he produces a big second half, would have greater value in the off-season.
It's also possible that an increasing number of clubs will begin viewing him as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter rather than top-of-the-rotation material.
At the moment, the Marlins can still make an advantageous trade by exploiting the demand for starting pitching.
They need to move quickly. Willis' value might never be higher.

FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Willis remains prime trade bait for Marlins