PHILADELPHIA – For baseball junkies, Thursday is one of the best days of the season.

The non-waiver trading deadline arrives at 4 p.m. After that, teams still can try to make deals, but there’s no guarantee they will be consummated because players must first be exposed to the whims of the waiver wire.

So if a club really wants a fifth starter or a righthanded bat – just to mention a couple of wares the local nine could use – for that final pennant chase, it had better act before 4 p.m.

The Chicago White Sox kicked off the trading season on the first day of this month, acquiring Roberto Alomar from the New York Mets and Carl Everett from the Texas Rangers.

There have been more moves in recent days, and they undoubtedly will continue Thursday.

Could there be a blockbuster? Sure, there could. The New York Yankees, having cleared a spot in right field by dealing Raul Mondesi to Arizona, could make a play for Montreal Expos superstar Vladimir Guerrero.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, leaking money and in full fire-sale mode, could deal slugger Brian Giles and catcher Jason Kendall to San Diego. Giles and Kendall are from the San Diego area and would become centerpieces of the Padres’ move into their new stadium next season.

However, this is a complicated deal, since both players are owed big money. A baseball executive wondered Wednesday whether the deal might have to wait until the winter because it may be too complex to pull off now. We’ll see.

Guerrero to the Yankees also would be an intricate deal that likely would involve the commissioner’s office. The Expos, who are for sale, are owned by Major League Baseball. Certainly the deal would have to cross commissioner Bud Selig’s desk.

This is just the type of deal Yankees owner George Steinbrenner would love to make. Guerrero is one of the biggest names in the sport. He also may be the game’s most talented player. Having been outmaneuvered by the hated Boston Red Sox in pursuing Cincinnati reliever Scott Williamson, Steinbrenner would like nothing more than to see Guerrero waggle his thunderous bat in front of the Red Sox.

The Yanks would have to give up a big package of talent – most likely led by first baseman Nick Johnson and pitcher Brandon Claussen – but it would be worth it for the 27-year-old Guerrero, who will be a free agent after the season. To make this deal, the Yankees would have to have some level of certainty that they could sign Guerrero this winter. They could certainly afford him – what’s a little more tax money? – but Guerrero may not be a big-city guy.

Phillies fans are eager to see whether the National League wild-card leaders will do anything. Best guess as of early Wednesday night was they would not.

General manager Ed Wade opened a media briefing on Wednesday by saying last year’s two World Series teams – San Francisco and Anaheim – each made just one trade before the deadline. The Phils already have made one, picking up reliever Mike Williams.

Despite having a leftfielder (Pat Burrell) who is hitting .198 and a third baseman (David Bell) who is on the disabled list with a bad back and probably will need more than a few at-bats to lift his average significantly above .200 when he returns, Wade said over and over that he likes his club and believes in it.

“I think the composition of our club could be the same at 4:01 tomorrow as it is at 4:01 today,” Wade said.

In some reports, the Phils have been linked to Pittsburgh starter Jeff Suppan. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that Pittsburgh officials initiated the calls, then confirmed the talks to reporters. That sounds a lot like a team trying to put itself in a better bargaining position by attempting to create a bigger market for a player.

Nonetheless, Suppan is a guy who could help the Phils. But, as of early Wednesday night, it didn’t look as if he would be a Phillie. If the Phils believe they need a fifth starter over the final two months, don’t be surprised if they look to their own Carlos Silva.

Suppan most likely will move on Thursday. St. Louis, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta and Boston are contenders looking for starting pitching. Other starters who could move include Livan Hernandez (Montreal), Javier Vazquez (Montreal), Kelvim Escobar (Toronto), Cory Lidle (Toronto), Sidney Ponson (Baltimore), Freddy Garcia (Seattle), John Thomson (Texas), Pat Hentgen (Baltimore), and Kevin Jarvis (San Diego).

One executive said Wednesday that he believed the Braves could end up with Escobar and Ponson. The Braves have plenty of young talent to offer the Blue Jays and Orioles, respectively.

The Phillies should be most concerned about NL wild-card contenders. Many are intent on making moves. Florida is looking for a hitter. Reggie Sanders, J.D. Drew, Rondell White and Jeff Conine are possibilities. The Dodgers need a hitter. Cincinnati third baseman Aaron Boone would be a nice fit. He also could end up in Seattle, where the Mariners are desperate for a third baseman as they try to hold off Oakland, which grabbed Jose Guillen’s bat from Cincinnati yesterday.

Another bat that could move belongs to Texas’ Juan Gonzalez. But he is on the disabled list and could be a waiver deal (to Kansas City?) next month.

So many scenarios. So many possibilities. The trade deadline approaches. Have fun with it.

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(c) 2003, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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AP-NY-07-30-03 2143EDT