CUBS 101

   After a deal was in place to send Ryan Dempster to the Atlanta Braves, the veteran pitcher remains in Chicago Cubs blue for the time being. Dempster, who will pitch tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates, is still pondering his options as the trade deadline approaches, according to Cubs.com writer Carrie Muskrat. The Cubs ace has a no-trade clause due to his tenure in the league, as well as playing the past five seasons with the same team, giving him the option to veto a trade as per MLB rules. The “10-5” rule, as it is known, was approved by Major League Baseball four decades ago, first used by Cubs Hall of Famer Ron Santo to veto a trade to the Angels.

   The Cubs were ready to receive Randall Delgado in the trade with the Braves, but Dempster would not accept the trade as he would still like time to consider his options. While Dempster has not vetoed the trade, meaning that it is still a possibility, he has also not accepted the trade, as reported by Richard Justice of MLB.com.

   The trade with the Braves may be off the table, as Braves general manager Frank Wren said that the trade is “very highly unlikely”, according to SI.com. This could work out in the long run for the Braves, as Dempster has not expressed any desire to sign a long term deal, meaning he could simply be a player for a postseason push. Had the trade with Braves gone through, they would have given up a top-50 prospect according to Baseball America, which seems like a steep price for a rental player.

   Many reports are stating that the reason Dempster has not accepted the trade is not due to a stonewall desire to stay in Chicago. Rather, it appears the pitcher would rather be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired Hanley Ramirez in a trade with the Miami Marlins yesterday. While it has not yet been released what the Dodgers off to the Cubs was, apparently Chicago preferred the proposal from Atlanta.

   The Braves have the better record, but it appears Dempster would like to go to the Dodgers because of his friendship with former teammate Ted Lilly, who pitched for the Cubs from 2007 to 2010. As the Cubs pick up talks again with the Dodgers, Los Angeles may have some bargaining power now that Dempster has made it clear to everyone in both organizations that he would prefer to go out west.

Tags: Atlanta Braves, Baseball, Chicago, Chicago Cubs, Dempster, Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Randall Delgado, Ron Santo, Ryan Dempster

Related Videos

Returning Soon!!!!

No related posts.