Lukewarm Stove: Now the Nationals Want Ryan Dempster, and a Great Many Other Rumors (UPDATE)

Jul 17, 2012

Ryan Dempster remains the primary focus of not only the Cubs’ trade radar, but arguably baseball as a whole…

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Cubs are exchanging names with a number of teams about Dempster, which squares with what we’ve heard over the last few days. He lists the Dodgers, Tigers, Red Sox, and Braves, specifically. A friend of Dempster says he’d probably accept a trade to the Red Sox (who are also still interested in Matt Garza), but the Dodgers are a “better fit.”

On those Red Sox, though, a day after we heard that they were “aggressively” pursuing Dempster, WEEI reports that’s not so. Instead, WEEI says the Red Sox haven’t been actively pursuing Dempster, and prefer to see if Franklin Morales (3.16 ERA) and Aaron Cook (3.34 ERA) are legit. That could very well be true, but, given the flukiness of their success, and the Red Sox’s anticipated improvement in the second half (with the returns of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Carl Crawford, particularly), I have a hard time believing they’re going to leave their rotation to chance. The report feels a bit like spin, if I’m being completely honest.

Speaking of interest in Dempster, you can add yet another team to the mix: the Nationals. Although they have a full rotation, and a couple of options in the minors, the Nats are reportedly still exploring the possibility of adding a rental pitcher, who could help them in the second half when Stephen Strasburg reaches his much-discussed innings limit. The Nationals have a solid farm system, even after promoting some of their top young talent, and trading a bunch of kids to the A’s for Gio Gonzalez.

Ken Rosenthal separately talks about the possibility of a team trading for Ryan Dempster wanting to sign him to an extension, commensurate with the trade. It’s not uncommon for teams to want that – or for players with no-trade rights to want it – but Dempster is an interesting case. Everyone suggests the same thing when they talk about a Dempster trade: get some prospects, and then bring him back next year! It’s obviously the dream scenario that fans propose about all of their favorite players who are traded in the year before free agency. Except it almost never happens. Guys just don’t come back to teams that dumped them, and teams that dump guys just don’t want them back (for more money). Dempster, however, really could be the exception. He loves Chicago and the Cubs more than most, and he’s so on board with this trade idea that he’s suggested he wants to make sure the Cubs get the most possible out of him in trade. Indeed, Dempster even told Bob Nightengale explicitly that he’d welcome a return to the Cubs in 2013 after being traded this year. (Query whether the Cubs are going to want Dempster back, given the direction of the Cubs. But that’s a separate discussion, one probably best left for, say, November.)

No surprise, but Jayson Stark and Joel Sherman say they’ve heard the Cubs are working hard to deal Dempster by the end of this week (i.e., before his scheduled start on Friday).

If you want to learn a bit more about the possible prospect returns in a Ryan Dempster deal, there’s a good thread going on over at the Message Board, with a particular focus on Tigers’ prospects not named Castellanos or Turner.

Phil Rogers guesses that the Cubs are in the “final stages” of putting a Dempster deal together, and lists the finalists as the Red Sox, Dodgers, Tigers, and Braves (the same as Rosenthal’s list). If it’s to be the Tigers, Rogers could see it becoming a Dempster/Darwin Barney package for a huge haul, probably not including Nick Castellanos or Jacob Turner.

In the offseason, consistent with what we heard at the time, the Cubs were asking for a huge return on Matt Garza. Ken Rosenthal says the Cubs wanted something similar to what the A’s got for Gio Gonzalez, a pitcher who offered one more year of team control. A fair approach, all things considered, but it makes you wonder how flexible the Cubs will be in order to make a deal happen before the deadline.

We’ve heard this before, but here’s another report (from Danny Knobler) discussing the Royals’ interest in Matt Garza, among other starting pitchers.

Keep an eye on injuries like those to Jose Bautista and David Ortiz. While your initial reaction might be that it will force the Blue Jays and Red Sox to try and pick up a bat, it could, instead, have the opposite effect: they could decide the uphill climb they already face just got a little too uphilly.

This is completely meaningless in any real sense, but the Cubs are one of four teams on Justin Upton’s no-trade list. Together with the Yankees and Red Sox, the Cubs make sense – players often list the biggest market teams who might actually try to acquire them on their lists, thinking that they can wield their no-trade clause to squeeze an extension out of a trade to one of those teams. The fourth team, though, is the Indians. That one is pretty much just a straight up dear-God-no-I-don’t-want-to-live-in-Cleveland kind of thing. How could anyone not want to live in Cleveland? (And again.)

UPDATE: Joel Sherman just added some bits on Twitter that he’s hearing from execs: (1) Dempster is likely to be the first big piece to be traded, which will set into motion other trades; (2) the Cubs have many reasons to trade Dempster, and they’re making strong efforts to do so; and (3) Garza is more of a 50/50 proposition to be dealt by the deadline, and his value could be hurt if the Rays decide to start unloading pitching.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 8, Marlins 3 – April 19, 2024

And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson with Back-to-Back Slick Defensive Plays

With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Pre-Gamin’: Marlins at Cubs – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

*The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: The White Sox Might be the Worst Team Ever, What Games I’m Watching this Weekend, More

Happy Friday! Well, for everyone except for the pilots who were supposed to be manning the Colorado Rockies flight last week but instead allowed a member of the Rockies coaching staff to hop in the pilot's seat for a fun...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Can I Interest You in a Positive Injury-Update on Justin Steele?

Justin Steele, arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Chicago Cubs 2024 roster, went down with a hamstring injury just 4.2 innings into his Opening Day start against the Rangers on March 28. In his place, the Cubs sixth...

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

FAA Reportedly Investigating How a Passenger on Colorado Rockies Team Flight Was Seen Accessing the Cockpit

If you do this job long enough, it's really wild to see the range of topics that can somehow become attached to sports. That is to say, I did not envision myself at some point writing about flight safety, cockpit...

Brett Taylor

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | April 19, 2024: Kevin Alcántara is Heating Up!

The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

It’s Not Kyle Hendricks Last Chance (But…), Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon, and Other Cubs Bullets

Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs Are Not Stealing Bases So Far This Year

The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...

Brett Taylor

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Roster Moves: Wisdom and Taillon Are Back, Wesneski and Mastrobuoni Are Out

Even with tonight's rainout, the Chicago Cubs are still making some roster moves. When Patrick Wisdom was removed (perfectly healthy) from the I-Cubs game in the 4th inning on Wednesday, we had an idea of what was coming next. When...

Michael Cerami

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Bulls

Scottie Pippen’s Youngest Son Will Play at Michigan

A familiar last name will be in the Big Ten next season. Scottie Pippen's kid, Justin, has committed to the University of Michigan, according to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. The youngest son of the Chicago Bulls legend, Pippen started...

Elias Schuster

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson with Back-to-Back Slick Defensive Plays

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 8, Marlins 3 – April 19, 2024

Michael Cerami

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

Blue Jays vs. Padres Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, April 19, 2024

The Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) will look to Daulton Varsho, who is coming off a two-homer game, to lead them in a matchup with the San Diego Padres (11-10) Friday at 9:40 PM ET on SDPA. The Blue Jays are...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

Diamondbacks vs. Giants Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, April 19, 2024

Jung Hoo Lee (10 games) will look to add to his hitting streak when the San Francisco Giants (9-11) and Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) meet Friday at 10:15 PM ET, live on Apple TV+ from Oracle Park. Jung Hoo Lee and...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

Dodgers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, April 19, 2024

The New York Mets (10-8) will put their four-game win streak to the test when they visit the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9) Friday at 10:10 PM ET on MLB Network. Bookmakers consider the Dodgers to be -203 favorites, while the...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

Jonas Valančiūnas Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Kings – Friday, April 19, 2024

At 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the New Orleans Pelicans against the Sacramento Kings -- with Jonas Valančiūnas needing to score just once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Jonas Valančiūnas'...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

Brandon Ingram Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Kings – Friday, April 19, 2024

Brandon Ingram's New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and to beat his 3-point prop, he must make two from beyond the arc.Brandon Ingram's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

CJ McCollum Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Kings – Friday, April 19, 2024

CJ McCollum needs to make four 3-pointers to beat his prop when the New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the KingsCJ McCollum's over/under...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Picks

Domantas Sabonis Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Friday, April 19, 2024

The Sacramento Kings meet the New Orleans Pelicans at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this matchup requires only one make from Domantas Sabonis.Domantas Sabonis' Three-Pointer Prop Odds...

Data Skrive

Apr 19, 2024

Lukewarm Stove: Now the Nationals Want Ryan Dempster, and a Great Many Other Rumors (UPDATE)

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular