Ryan Dempster is having one of, if not the, best year of his career with the Chicago Cubs this season. Â He is 2-3 this season but has a 2.31 ERA on the year. Â He has been one of the few bright spots for the Cubs in a dismal season that finds them with the worst record in baseball at the time of this article. Â Yet, Dempster may not be with the team even through the July 31st trade deadline.
According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are ready to start trading players. Â It would seem that no one is off limits and Ryan Dempster could be the first big name to go. Â The organization is obviously re-building, but Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer plan to rebuild it with their own vision. Â They can do that without just about any player on the current 25-man roster.
Dempster could be a very attractive trade candidate this July. Â His pitching this season is something any team in contention could use, but with injuries and the closing gap between them and the Angels, the Rangers may be a prime candidate. Â The only question would be how much the Rangers can spend. Â They spent a lot during the offseason and Dempster is due $14 million this year, of which the Cubs will have already paid a good chunk. Â He is a free agent at the end of the season.
Numerous other teams could be interested in Dempster despite a proven track record of consistency.  He’s pitching well this season, but he has a career ERA of 4.34 and hasn’t posted and ERA under 3.65 since 2006.  For a half-year rental though, Dempster may be worth it to help a team push their way into the postseason.
Dempster is not the only well-known player the Cubs may trade, but he will probably be the first. Â Theo Epstein has made no secret of his intentions to move players and start building for a consistently successful future.
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