Jarrod Washburn May Be Unavailable

Jarrod Washburn, by most accounts the best available starting pitcher at this year's trade deadline behind Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, may not be available after all.

Two sources from clubs looking for starting pitching told FanHouse on Tuesday night that they believe the Mariners are inclined to hold on to Washburn and make a run at re-signing him.

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Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who acknowledged he's after Washburn, said Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik "hasn't decided yet" if he'll deal Washburn.

The Mariners entered play on Tuesday trailing the Angels by 7 1/2 games, in third place in the AL West and having lost four in a row. They were also 7 1/2 back Boston in the wild-card standings. Although their playoff hopes would seem to be fading, one source said that Zuriencik, in his first year on the job, probably wants to hang on to Washburn so the Mariners can finish strong and make a statement to their fans.

Washburn, who came into his start on Tuesday with an 8-6 record and 2.71 ERA, had been linked to the Brewers and Yankees recently, as well as the Dodgers earlier in the summer.

That leaves pitchers like Jon Garland, Ian Snell, Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo as the most accomplished starters known to be on the block after the Halladay and Lee.