According to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com, the Dodgers have made a trade proposal to the Cubs for right-hander Ryan Dempster.
And, well, that’s all we have right now. Talks are said to be “fluid” and it isn’t clear whether top prospect right-hander Zach Lee is included in the Dodgers’ proposal. That seems unlikely, as it would be a pretty hefty price to pay for an impending free agent who can’t be offered arbitration. For Matt Garza? Sure. He’s under team control for another year. But Dempster? Probably not.
The Cubs seem to be preparing for the possibility that a deal, not necessarily with the Dodgers, will go down prior to Dempster’s scheduled start tomorrow tonight against the Cardinals. The club acquired Justin Germano from the Red Sox from cash considerations tonight and have summoned right-hander Casey Coleman from Triple-A Iowa to join the team tomorrow in St. Louis. While it’s no sure thing that a trade will happen by tomorrow night, either pitcher could conceivably start in Dempster’s place.
Dempster, 35, leads the majors with a 1.86 ERA through 14 starts this season and currently holds a 33-inning scoreless streak. He is reportedly drawing interest from a long list of contenders, including the Tigers and Braves. The Red Sox are said to be out of the mix. He has 10-and-5 rights, but has expressed a willingness to be traded to a contender.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that Zach Lee will not be in a deal for a rental like Dempster. That sounds about right.
