Ryan Dempster To Be Dealt This Week?

The Ryan Dempster trade rumors may finally come to  fruition this week. After Dempster extended his scoreless inning streak to 33 innings in his victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was believed that as many as ten teams were believed to have been in attendance to scout Dempster. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians are believed to have the strongest interest in the Chicago Cubs’ veteran starting pitcher.

With that in mind, David Kaplan of CSN Chicago and WGN Radio tweeted on Sunday that sources tell him they believe that Dempster has made his last start for the Chicago Cubs and that the starting pitcher will be dealt before his next start. This is not the first time that a reporter has speculated that one of Dempster’s starts could have been his last as a member of the Cubs’ organization. Though, this is the first time that a reporter has taken a firm stance through sources by reporting that Dempster’s start on Saturday was indeed his last with the Cubs. Unlike other local reporters, Kaplan generally stays out of the rumor business unless he his credible information. For that reason, I am inclined to believe Kaplan’s sources when they expect the starting pitcher to be dealt this week.

Though, Kaplan was not the first reporter on Sunday to say that the Cubs will focus on a Dempster trade this week. Buster Olney of ESPN also reported that the Cubs would look to trade Dempster this week as that would pave the way for the team to try and trade Matt Garza by July 31. Olney also suggests that Dempster could be the first star to be traded in the weeks leading to the trade deadline.

Both Kaplan’s and Olney’s information may have eliminated at least two of the teams that were believed to be interested in Dempster. Along with suggesting that Dempster would be traded this week, Kaplan’s sources also revealed that the Chicago White Sox are no longer in the mix for Dempster. The White Sox were never really believed to be a likely suitor for Dempster. Reason being that the White Sox lack the talented prospects that the Cubs are looking for in a trade of Dempster.

Meanwhile, Olney mentioned that while the Dodgers were originally believed to be the front-runners for Dempster, it is now unclear if the Dodgers will be able to match competing offers from the other teams that have expressed a strong interest in Dempster. As I suggested today, if the Tigers are offering Jacob Turner in a package for Dempster, then that is the package that the Cubs need to take. Turner figures to be a better pitching prospects than any pitching prospect that the Dodgers could offer up. In addition, Turner is the ideal prospect that the Cubs are looking for as they look to trade their assets in the coming weeks.