Phillies Notes: Phillies going after Beltran?

CHICAGO - Charlie Manuel has made it clear both privately and publicly: If the Phillies are to upgrade offensively through a trade, the manager prefers a bat that will provide more than a marginal difference.

That, of course, can be said of every team in the majors. But the market for righthanded power bats is saturated with demand and limited in talent.

The Phillies could overcome that by acquiring the best - but costliest - bat on the market. A FoxSports.com report Tuesday indicated that the Phillies and Boston Red Sox are the most aggressive teams seeking Carlos Beltran, the New York Mets rightfielder. That report cited anonymous sources.

A Phillies official neither confirmed nor denied the report. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has declared he will not comment publicly before the July 31 trade deadline.

But it is clear that, Beltran or not, the Phillies are thinking big with 11 days remaining before the deadline. Beltran, 34, entered Tuesday with an .893 OPS, which ranked fifth among National League outfielders. He is owed about $6 million for the remainder of the season, but the Mets reportedly have told teams they are willing to eat a majority of the cash as long as the return includes quality prospects.

Beltran will be a free agent after 2011 and would be nothing more than a rental, which counters the Phillies' trading philosophy in recent years.   

Roy Oswalt picked up a baseball and stepped on a mound for the first time in 26 days.

Talk of possible trades dominates baseball, but a healthy Oswalt could be the team's best acquisition.

After throwing about 50 pitches at Wrigley Field, Oswalt was as optimistic as he's been throughout this ordeal with his ailing back. A return to the majors in early August is not out of the question.

"I actually felt great," Oswalt said. "Probably felt as good as I did in spring training."

Oswalt will throw another bullpen session Friday and could pitch in a minor-league game next week if all goes according to plan.

He has had two injections in his back, but the most recent one before the all-star break helped more than the first, the pitcher said.

"After I got the shot the first time, it never went away," Oswalt said. "I don't know if it didn't hit the right spot or what. This one, within five days after the shot, I had no pain in my legs."

Jason Grilli soon will be in the majors, with the Phillies or with another club. The triple-A reliever has an out clause in his contract if another team immediately adds him to its major-league roster. At least one undisclosed team has expressed that interest, and the Phillies have until Friday to promote Grilli, a team official said. Grilli, 34, has a 1.93 ERA in 322/3 innings this season.