PITTSBURGH – Two days before the trade deadline, one of the primary questions in Pirates camp is what to do with veteran pitchers Zach Duke and Paul Maholm in the near future.

After Roy Oswalt, who appears to be headed to the Philadelphia Phillies any hour now, there’s a considerable drop-off to the next tier of available starters. The shortage of established options figures to increase of value of Duke, Maholm, Fausto Carmona, Ted Lilly and a select few others. If Pirates general manager Neal Huntington receives a solid offer for either Duke or Maholm in the next few hours, indications are that he’ll think hard about it. That the team still has not announced its starter on Saturday night may be another sign of as much.

At 27, Duke has enhanced his trade value since he returned from the disabled earlier this month. In three starts, he allowed six runs on 14 hits and four walks in 17 innings. More important, he reported no problems with his strained left elbow.

Maholm has been hit or miss in his last seven starts, but overall, the 28-year-old has been the most consistent pitcher in the rotation. His 4.13 earned run average and 1.46 walked plus hits per inning are in line with his career numbers. Like Duke, Maholm is a good clubhouse guy. He also is under contract at a reasonable $5.75 million for the 2011 season, which may increase his value even more.

If not now, I expect either Duke or Maholm to be moved before the start of next season. There’s not enough variety here. Both are left-handers, both are finesse guys, and as almost every scout will tell you, both have maxed out. Huntington plans to rebuild the rotation with young power arms evenutally, and neither one fits the description.

Meanwhile, relievers D.J. Carrasco, Octavio Dotel and Javier Lopez continue to generate interest around the league. Add the Phillies to the list of teams that inquired about Dotel recently, which comes as no surprise. In need of a back-up for closer Brad Lidge, they were among several teams that scouted the Pirates on the last homestand. Expect at least one of the three to be moved this week.