Dempster Deal Now Likely Dead

The Atlanta Braves’ trade for Cubs right-handed pitcher Ryan Dempster that looked all but done on Monday now appears to be off the table due to Dempster’s status as a 10/5 player, meaning that because he has ten years of MLB experience and five years with the same team he has a trade clause that he controls.

In an interview with 680 The Fan this morning, Braves general manager Frank Wren pointed towards the team moving on from Dempster, saying that a deal for the league leader in ERA is now “highly unlikely”. The deal for Dempster first took a wild turn on Monday afternoon, when Dempster tweeted “THERE IS NO TRADE don’t know where this info came from!” It now appears that Dempster’s options are to either stay in Chicago and test free agency at the end of the season or to try and force the Cubs to trade him to the Dodgers, the team that he said was #1 on his wish list.

It will be interesting to see if the Braves try to deal for another quality starter to bolster their pitching staff. Two targets that I say may be in the mix are Zach Greinke from the Brewers and James Shields from the Tampa Bay Rays.