How I haven’t been classifying this as an Obsessive Watch, I’ll never know. When you’re one of the five most valuable trade chips on the market, and you’re the most obvious piece to be moved, there’s going to be a whole lot written about you.
So it is with Ryan Dempster, about whom we’re going to keep hearing a ton of rumors until he’s actually dealt (much of it conflicting – that’s just the way these things play out; I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction). In the last 20 hours, alone …
We keep hearing about the Dodgers, who are considered by most to be the clear frontrunner for Dempster. A “high-ranking Cubs official” tells Bob Nightengale that, yup, the Dodgers are the leaders.
The Dodgers are also Dempster’s preferred destination, according to Ken Rosenthal. His second preference is to go to the Braves, but he’s open to going to any contender, depending on the deals offered up by the other participants in the bidding. Buster Olney adds that, from the perspective of building value for his next contract, the Dodgers are a good fit for Dempster (I presume he means not only because it’s a nice place to pitch (and is in the NL), but also because the Dodgers are expected to spend a fair bit this Winter, and getting Dempster now might make them more likely to make a handsome extension offer).
Ah, but Toni Ginnetti says the Dodgers are no longer the frontrunner for Dempster, and the possible leaders instead being other names we’ve heard, including the Tigers, Red Sox, and Braves (she says the Nationals and Yankees aren’t as interested as we might have heard). I can’t quite see a reason why the Dodgers’ interest in Dempster would have cooled, except possibly that the Cubs’ asking price remains steep. We’ve heard that the Dodgers may have already offered Garrett Gould and Chris Withrow (which would be an acceptable, but unsexy return), but could the Cubs be holding out for …
The Dodgers’ top prospect is easily pitcher Zach Lee. A 20-year-old righty, Lee is a top 100 prospect and is already at AA (though he’s struggled through four starts). He would seem to be too much to ask for Dempster, alone, but maybe the Cubs are holding out anyway. Or, as Doug Padilla suggests, the Cubs could be trying to include Bryan LaHair or a prospect in order to net Lee in a Dempster trade. The fact that it has become relatively widely known that Dempster’s preference is to go to the Dodgers could hurt the Cubs’ leverage slightly.
Paul Sullivan suggests a pitcher that could be coming back to the Cubs is Stephen Fife, the 25-year-old who started well last night for the Dodgers. He’s not a terrifically impressive pitcher, who put up so-so numbers in the minors, mostly in the Red Sox organization. He could possibly be a serviceable back-end starter, but that’s not the kind of guy the Cubs should be targeting in these Dempster talks (his numbers suggest a Casey Coleman type). I’d have no problem with him as an inclusion, mind you, just not the centerpiece.
David Schoenfield says in a chat that Dempster’s value is right around a couple B/B+ prospects (which sounds right to me, for what it’s worth), but that Jacob Turner’s stock has dropped sufficiently that he could be in play in a Dempster deal (even with the stock drop, if the Tigers are willing to send Turner for Dempster, I scream with delight and jump on it).
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.
In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...
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...
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...
*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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...
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...
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...
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...
Following a two-homer game in a loss to the Yankees, Daulton Varsho leads the Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) into action as -112 favorites against the San Diego Padres (11-10). First pitch from PETCO Park at 9:40 PM ET on Friday,...
Jung Hoo Lee will look to extend his 10-game hitting streak when the San Francisco Giants (9-11) take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11). The Diamondbacks are listed as -121 favorites on the moneyline for the contest, which starts at 10:15...
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 -201 favorites, while the...
The New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this matchup requires only one make from Jonas Valančiūnas.Jonas Valančiūnas' Three-Pointer Prop Odds...
Brandon Ingram must make two 3-pointers to beat his prop when the New Orleans Pelicans meet the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.Brandon Ingram's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the KingsBrandon Ingram's over/under for...
CJ McCollum's New Orleans Pelicans play 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 four from downtown.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the KingsCJ McCollum's...
NEWSLETTER
How I haven’t been classifying this as an Obsessive Watch, I’ll never know. When you’re one of the five most valuable trade chips on the market, and you’re the most obvious piece to be moved, there’s going to be a whole lot written about you.
