With Myers possibly out for the season, it's time for the Phillies to acquire another pitcher

Unless you haven't been paying attention today, you have heard the bad news: Brett Myers is likely going to have hip surgery and could miss the rest of the season. It appears that Myers will need the surgery at some point and now is determining whether he needs to have it now or if he can pitch through it. The way things are being discussed right now, the Phillies should assume Myers won't be coming back and they should start making adjustments to their rotation.

Losing Myers will hurt the Phils since he has been one of their more consistent innings eaters this season. He hasn't put up sparkling numbers, but he was someone that nearly always kept the team in the game. His loss means the Phillies have a decision to make. Should they look within for rotation help or try to acquire some help from outside the organization?

If the Phillies stand pat, they have two logical in-house candidates: Chan Ho Park and Kyle Kendrick. Both have tried their hand at starting for the Phillies and both have failed. Both should only be looked at as short-term replacements and not any kind of answer for the remainder of the season. Carlos Carrasco is one other dark horse candidate, but he still seems a year or two away from being ready.

That leaves the Phillies needing to make a trade for a pitcher that can resemble a number two starter. Jayson Stark of ESPN made a long list of possible candidates for the Phillies, including Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Jake Peavy. Apparently the Phils have already been scouring the league for starting pitching and this injury to Myers should only intensify that search. With trading chips like Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson, the Phillies have plenty of pieces that other teams want, it's just a question of whether they can pry away a big-time starter or if they will have to settle for a secondary option, like Erik Bedard or Brad Penny. It will be interesting to see what Ruben Amaro can pull off in his first big trade.

With Brett Myers likely out for the year, the Phillies have to make a move to remain a contending team. A rotation of Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, J.A. Happ and Chan Ho Park or Kyle Kendrick just simply won't get it done. While they are at a disadvantage because other teams around the league know they have to make a trade and will try to raise their prices, the Phils have to get something done. They only have so many more years with this amazing offensive nucleus hitting on all cylinders, it would be a shame if they wasted one because of bad starting pitching.

As for Myers, we could have seen his last game as a Phillie. He will be a free agent at the end of the year and likely wants a pretty hefty contract. The Phillies will likely make him some kind of offer, it will be interesting to see if he is willing to stay at a hometown discount. Of course, if the Phillies can make a move for another big-time starter, they may not want Myers back at all.