NEWSLETTER
For weeks it has seemed that veteran starter Ryan Dempster is not on the Chicago Cubs’ radar. Yes, there was a meeting early in the offseason, but, unless Dempster was willing to take a significant “home-town” discount (and assuming all sides could let bygones be bygones), it didn’t seem like a 35-year-old starter looking for a three-year, big-money deal was the right fit for the Cubs.
Well, maybe the market has changed since then or something, because the Cubs are reportedly speaking with Dempster’s agent. Bruce Levine cites major league sources who tell him that the Cubs have had conversations with Dempster’s agent about a return to Chicago, and those conversations have included a discussion on years and dollars. A formal offer has not been made, though, the source said.
I was waiting for the Winter Meetings to produce a rumor that makes you go, “say whaaa?” And this is it.
Dempster is being pursued by the Royals and Brewers, among other teams, and is looking for a three-year deal. Bruce mentions a potential sticking point between the Cubs and Dempster: a no-trade clause. For reasons that should be obvious to anyone who followed The Ryan Dempster Trade Saga this Summer, Dempster is going to want some no-trade protection, while the Cubs are going to be loathe to give it to him.
Let’s see where this goes.
