DALLAS -- Even with Dave Williams getting sent to Cincinnati for Sean Casey, the Pirates still will have pitching to give.

And they seem willing to give it.

General manager Dave Littlefield said last night that, even if he parts with one arm, he would not have a problem giving up another. That would depend, he added, on the caliber of the pitcher being sought.

"I wouldn't say we have too many starters," Littlefield said. "But, in theory, trading some starters to get some bats would make sense."

He has sent strong signals he will not part with Zach Duke, Paul Maholm or Oliver Perez, but he has done no such thing regarding Kip Wells, Mark Redman or Josh Fogg, all of whom are drawing inquiries from other teams.

That might be viewed as surprising to some, considering that all three struggled mightily this past season. But all three have experience in starting roles, and this edition of the winter meetings has proven there is no hotter commodity.

Littlefield is not hinting as to which pitchers he might be shopping, but word around the meetings is that Wells and Redman are at the forefront. The name of reliever John Grabow apparently has been mentioned in conversations, too, but more by other teams and not the Pirates, who are reluctant to part with him.

Philadelphia has resumed a long-running quest to acquire Wells even though he is coming off an 8-18 season in which he posted a 5.09 earned run average. One reason: The Phillies have only three certain starters -- Jon Lieber, Brett Myers and Cory Lidle -- for next season. Another reason: Wells dominated Philadelphia, going 2-0 in two starts and allowing one run. One of those was a 12-strikeout shutout July 5.

The Phillies are shopping outfielder Jason Michaels, a player the Pirates briefly pursued more than a year ago. Michaels, 29, is an above-average fielder who batted .304 with four home runs and 31 RBIs. The Pirates are believed to be no less interested in a prospect, Class A right-handed starting pitcher Scott Mathieson.

Philadelphia management also has expressed interest in Redman, who started last season superbly but finished 5-15. When effective, Redman is a ground-ball specialist, and that would be a good fit for the compact Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Pat Gillick, the Phillies' general manager, has made it clear he wanted to pay no more than $5 million to any starter he adds. Wells' salary is expected to increase to that much through arbitration, and Redman is due to make $4.5 million.

The Boston Red Sox have asked about Wells and Redman, too, but that seems more motivated by a desire to drop the $7.5 million salary of outfielder Trot Nixon. Nixon, 31, is a career .279 hitter who has platooned most of the past two seasons. He batted .275 with 13 home runs last season.

Buried treasure

With the Pirates looking into trading for oft-troubled Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley, Littlefield was asked how much he values character when making acquisitions: "We'd like to have good-character people on the team. I think it makes for a smoother-running ship. We all have concern about previous actions or approaches to the game. But it's one of many considerations. And I've learned through dealing with players most of my life that perception is not always reality, and the rumors of what people did in the past isn't always what did take place."

The Pirates have made contact about free-agent third baseman Bill Mueller, but his agent, Ron Shapiro, said there was no more to it than that and that no deal with any team was imminent.

Nomar Garciaparra, another third baseman in whom the Pirates have expressed interest, appears to be leaning toward playing on the West Coast. The Dodgers and San Diego Padres are chief among his suitors, although the Baltimore Orioles also are involved.