Although he took the 2014 season off, walking away from $13.25 million in the process, it wasn’t yet entirely clear whether Ryan Dempster would return to baseball in 2015, or if he would retire.
Well, it might be clear now. After 16 Major League seasons, Dempster will reportedly retire.
Whatever your feelings on how Dempster’s time in Chicago ended (and, hey, he did net the Cubs Kyle Hendricks, so relax), his connection to the Cubs is undeniable. He was a part of some of the best Cubs teams in recent memory, and did some excellent things for the organization on and off the field, and as both a starter and a closer. I generally still remember his time with the Cubs fondly. Heck, the day after he was traded to the Rangers, ending 2012’s Ryan Dempster Trade Saga, I still felt good about Dempster and the Cubs (even if I was wrong to be so disappointed that the Cubs didn’t get Randall Delgado).
Whether Dempster now returns to the Cubs organization in his post-playing days remains to be seen. It would be nice to see him brought in for the Cubs Convention in January.