OK, OK, so we need a starting pitcher.  Our underrated pitching staff is showing some cracks and --- in typical Brewer fashion --- all at the same time.  Moustache has suggested that it's hard to work a trade for a pitcher now, because so many teams are still in it.  We'll just see about that!

I am going to argue that any team that is 8 games or greater under .500 is not going to make the playoffs.  (Could they make the playoffs?  Of course --- it's the middle of June, for the love of Sixto.  But will they?  No.)  That gives us 6 teams we could be talking to already.

1. Washington Nationals (16-45).  Amazingly, this team is 20 games out of first, and it's only the middle of June. They have exactly one (1) starting pitcher with an ERA under 5.  His name is John Lannan, and he has pretty good numbers (3.51, 1.42, .267), especially given his age (24).  His WHIP is a little high, thanks to a touch of walk-itis, but he has career and 2009 ERAs under 4.  If you check out his Yahoo! team photo as well, you'll see he has the look you'd expect of someone playing for the Nationals: a little sad, a little resigned. He only has a little more than one year of ML service, so he doesn't have any outrageous salary demands or anything, though he's far younger than your typical DM acquisition.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (27-37).  Boy, do the D-Backs have pitching: Arizona has three starters with ERAs under 4, and none of them are named Brandon Webb.  Dan Haren is putting up Sabathia Eckersley numbers this season (WHIP of 0.81, BAA .188, ERA 2.20, almost a K/IP), and Max Scherzer is doing amazingly well for someone drafted only three years ago.  Still, it's pitcher #3 that I'm sure Doug Melvin is already salivating over: our good buddy, double-D, Doug Davis.  Not only is he a former Brewer (twice!), but he's pitching for his next contract, with a 3.65 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, far and away better than anything he's done since 2005.  It would be a true Sabathia replacement, as he is a free agent at the end of the season.  (And just think how excited sportswriters will be to say we're replacing CC with DD!)  Frankly, I'd be disappointed if we didn't bring in a true stud like Haren, but bringing in DD (once again) is a move that Melvin would make subconsciously, kind of like breathing or blinking.  DD is making $8.75 million this season, so salary would be a concern.
3. Baltimore Orioles (27-36).  Baltimore has had some trouble with pitching this season: already they have had to use 9 starters, and 40 of the 63 games were started by pitchers with an ERA currently over 5.5. (This is where Rambling Al would remind us of the value of Jeff Suppan, which I'd grudgingly concede.) They have two starters who would be useful, Koji Uehara and Brad Bergesen, but both are pitching their first ML seasons in 2009, and I can't imagine Moustache would make a trade for a rookie.
4. Oakland Athletics (27-35).  Oakland is the current home of ol' BCB fan favorite, Dana Eveland, so maybe they would like to do us a solid and lend us a starting pitcher.  They have two of interest. Dallas Braden is a lefty drafted in 2004 who (unlike Eveland) seems to have figured out how to pitch, having lowered his ERA and WHIP in each of the past two years.  So far this year, he has a 3.33 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.  The impeccably named Josh Outman isn't quite there in ERA (3.43), but his 1.14 WHIP and .209 BAA are outstanding.  Trading for either would cost us a mint, though, plus Oakland probably doesn't realize yet that they won't make the playoffs (which they won't).
5. Cleveland Indians (29-37). The team we're up against tonight also finds itself 8 games under .500, having lost to us last night in bullpen-exhausting, gut-wrenching, extra-inning fashion.  (Hey, we've all been there.) Since we're already in the same ballpark, Doug can stroll on over and ask about AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee (aka Cliffly).  After scuffling in 2006 and 2007, Cliff figured something out in 2008, having posted a 2.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP last season.  The numbers aren't far off this year either, 2.88 and 1.33, respectively. The Indians would be in a perfect position to trade him, too, as Lee is under team control (thanks to an $8 million option) through 2010.  He would be pricey, and the Indians' asking price would only begin with Escobar or Gamel.  Excuse me as I put on my tinfoil hat: if you hear any whispers of DM offering JJ a long-term deal now, even (especially?) when Hardy's numbers aren't so hot, it could be just laying the groundwork for trading Escobar for a player like Cliffly. 
6. Kansas City Royals (28-34).  Technically, the Royals are only 6 games under .500, but still.  It's the Royals.  Besides, they have perhaps BCB's favorite player never to wear a Brewer uniform, Zach Grienke. Grienke only has a 1.72 ERA and 0.99 WHIP; his ERA for this season is more than 2 runs below his career average.  Although any of the pitchers discussed here would be helpful, only Grienke and Cliffly would be a Sabathia-level replacement in terms of quality.  A Grienke deal might be tough to pull off, though: not only would he cost the Brewers a boatload (both in prospects and money, as he just signed a $38 million, 4-year extension through 2012), but Grienke also has limited no-trade protection until 2011.  It's funny to consider a no-trade clause when you're already on the Royals.

I'm still betting on Doug Davis, though as more teams fall out of the race (yes I'm talking about you, Houston, Pittsburgh, and San Diego), some more options will open up.  With Peavy out of the picture (possible season-ending ankle surgery), there isn't much high-priced talent out there; moreover, the would-be sellers will get a lot more for Cliffly and Grienke at the trading deadline than the middle of June.