Last night I wrote about the Pirates being in contention in the NL Central. Heck, they even pulled off a trade for a starting pitcher (Wandy Rodriguez), trying to boost their rotation for the playoff race. But the Cubs are enjoying their role as spoilers, and did what they can to start the Pirates’ playoff ship sinking. Paul Maholm led the way to a 5-1 Cubs victory.
“He’s been coming out with all four pitches every night,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s staying with the game plan, he’s not shaking off, he’s not doing anything that he shouldn’t be doing. He’s making all the pitches and getting ground-ball double plays and strikeouts. He’s really prepared and doing obviously a great job. It’s something you don’t see too often after five or six starts.”
He became the first Cub lefty starter to have five consecutive starts of at least 6 innings pitched and 1 or fewer runs allowed since 1918. Any chance Maholm gets traded this week?
“Paulie is just one of those guys that’s been around for a long time and I think he’s somewhat coming into his own too,” Sveum said. We forget he had a 3.6 ERA last year even if the wins and losses aren’t there. You have a 3.6 ERA and you have a pretty good year. You take his first start away and maybe one other one and he’s been pretty good for most of the year.”
Is that Dale Sveum’s sales pitch?
Speaking of trades, what’s going on with Ryan Dempster these days?
“I want to look everything over before I make a decision, and I’ve got time to do that,” Dempster said Tuesday. “There’s a week before the Trade Deadline.”
(snip)
“I’m just trying to look over everything and make the best decision for me and for my family and what I need to do,” he said.
Which is all well and good, and probably what you should have said last week.
1) I would have thought he would have looked everything over when he gave Theo his “list” in the first place; and
2) Make sure you wait until the last possible moment, Ryan, thereby effectively precluding any other deals we might be able to make for you.
And don’t forget stalling out any other deals the Cubs are trying to make for players like Garza, Maholm, Barney and so on while other teams seem to be going ahead and filling the holes they have.
I’m not sure the Dodgers are really that interested in acquiring Dempster anymore after they made a pretty substantial early this morning for Hanley Ramirez. And I honestly believe the Braves have no wish to get Dempster anymore after it has become public knowledge that he really doesn’t want to play there.
Teams that have been talked about acquire other Cubs players have all seemingly made other moves now which puts a big question mark on the Cubs ability to move their players now.
We still have almost a week before the trade deadline passes so a lot could happen, but it appears to me that the ship has sailed on a lot of good opportunities for the Cubs.
I’ll tell you this, Ryan Dempster, whether he likes it or not, has suddenly turned himself into a villain. I know perfectly well that he has every right to veto a trade, and that he definitely earned that right…fine. But we as fans have every right to be pissed off at him for acting rather selfishly while using the guise of being “loyal” to the Cubs.
And any argument about him making the best decision for his “family” is a load of crap…just like it was with Derrek Lee. This doesn’t have to do with his family and practically all the information that has come out about this would confirm that. He’s trying to go to a place that, a) gave him a playoff cut in 2008 and b) he would likely get an extension from. His decision is about money…pure and simple. Not loyalty to the Cubs, not loyalty to this fan base, and not to protect his family.
They did give up a starter for Ramirez, though, so there may be an opening. This morning on the Score, Phil Rogers said Alan Webster’s name has been bandied about for Dempster. That might even be a better move than Delgado.
I like Delgado more, personally. Webster has stalled out a bit in the minor leagues, I think. They are both decent prospects, though.
At the same time, the Dodgers did trade away Eovaldi, which is one of there better younger pitchers. I’m not sure how many of those pitchers they would want to give away unless they are perfectly fine as long as they have Zach Lee.
Having Dempster go to the Dodgers also eliminates the idea of Garza going to the Dodgers, if that was even a “real” thing…and I really liked the idea of getting Zach Lee.
Barney is not going anywhere. He is the 2b of the future HERE!
Our 2nd baseman of the future is mediocre.
Horsehockey.
Other than the fact that he’s pretty attractive, sorry – Doc is right. He has an OPS+ this year of 82. 82!!! He doesn’t get on base. He’s kind of terrible.
He plays the best defensive Second Base in the league. His intangibles are excellent. He is also one of the smarter players on the field.
an OPS + anything is a bonus. He puts the ball in play and a lot of his outs are move-em-up good outs. He hustles and he’s a bit cocky.And he makes the league minimum at the moment. Whats not to like? He will be a nice low dollar solid player going forward. Dynasties always have 4-5 of these guys around.
I stopped reading at “intangibles”
He’s a utility infielder.
Dynasties don’t have 4 or 5 of these guys around…they have one or two of them, and they sit them on the bench where they belong.
definitely agree on #1. I don’t care so much that he has places he will or won’t be traded to, he’s earned that much, I would want to have a say on where I’m willing to ship my family off to
but I can’t help but feel he wasted Jed and Theo’s time, when they could have been out working on a trade that was actually going somewhere
btw, is it actually confirmed that he’s the one that stopped the trade?
yep. Confirmed by multiple reports that he put ATL on his pre-approved list and then backed out.
With the Dodgers trading for Hedley Ramirez, it is looking less and less likely that Dempster gets his wish to go to LA.
His backtracking on Atlanta smells of an attempt to fish for more money.
That is exactly right. Atlanta sees Dempster as a 2 month rental while the Dodgers are likely to give him an extension.
Not to mention the fact that by publicly saying he prefers the Dodgers, he takes away the Cubs’ leverage to play the teams against each other for the highest offer. Or, said another way, LA will feel they need to put less on the table, because they know Dempster’s preference is to go there.
I get the feeling he’s going to totally fuck this up and get stuck with the team.
And the Cubs don’t get a compensatory pick for him if he signs somewhere else — they only get the pick if he signs somewhere else AND if he is offered a “qualifying offer” by the Cubs.
And I get the feeling if the Cubs offer him anything at or over minimum wage, he’ll take it which means we’re stuck with him.
Jon Heyman has now said that the Braves have withdrawn their trade proposal for Ryan Dempster…so it looks like it is LA or nothing right now.
Maybe he can come to the Nationals after all???
Nationals???
Go play in traffic.
It makes perfect sense. He helps the Nats bury the Braves — why wouldn’t someone be in favor of that?
At this point, I feel sorry for the Braves. I hope they win the division without Dempster now.
did you just say you feel bad for the Braves?
think about that statement for a moment
I’ve never had any issues with the Braves. Braves “fans” on the other hand I have an issue with.
Thanks, Ryan.
“Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren said Wednesday his team is “moving on” from their pursuit of Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.”
Fuck you, Ryan Dempster.
This whole “do what’s right for my family” thing is bullshit. This would be for, what, two months? Then you go home for the winter and figure out what is best for your family before you sign a new long term contract.
This looks like a replay of when the Cubs last tried to trade Soriano: he rejected the trade, and then when his skills really failed, then wanted to be traded. I think he came out with the same fiction about his family…
For the rest of the season, starting today, Dempster goes 2-8 with a 5.00+ ERA. Not a wish, mind you, a prediction.
No, he is still pitching for that next contract. Greed will out.
Actually…not really. For the Cubs to get their compensatory draft pick, Dempster will probably be offered somewhere around $12 million for next season…so he’s pretty much got that in the bag.
If Dempster really DID want to come back next season, I think he’s pretty much killed his chances.
Actually…he’s going to force the Cubs to make him an offer next year…and the sad thing is that he’ll probably take it.
If his ERA continues under 2.5 and he doesn’t blow his arm out he’ll get several multi-year offers. He won’t take a 1 year deal from the Cubs.
I don’t think so. It’s Kerry Wood all over again. He only wants to play here and he’ll do anything to make that happen.
The Cubs now plan to keep Dempster and make him a qualifying offer after the season, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. Doing so would allow the Cubs to collect a compensatory draft pick in 2013.
from mlbtraderumors.com
Gross. Don’t like.
Wonder if they’re just trying to use that to gain back a tiny bit of leverage that Dempster took from them.
I don’t know…but one thing’s for sure…it’s looking like Dempster is getting his way and will not get traded so he can play on a last place team where there is no pressure to do anything except raise money for his charity.
And the worst part of all this?
We have to continue to listen too that horrible impression of Will Ferrell’s impression of Harry Caray.
Ugh. Agree.
I said it yesterday…and I’ll say it again…
Why is it so difficult for the Cubs to trade anyone?
maybe Chicago should be less awesome and players wouldn’t want to stick around
Um . . Oh, there’s a game going on.
Well what do you know?
yay?
1. Is the game on tv?
2. Dempster had just earned the prefix of “journeyman” in front of his name for the rest of his career. He’d better start taking courses for his future as an analyst for local tv…
Carl, love today’s photo, just wanted to say
I think this sums it up nicely:
http://memegenerator.net/instance/23949469?browsingOrder=New&browsingTimeSpan=Today
lol, perfect
Cubs lose.
I blame Dempster.
Already? When did the game start? At dawn?
It’s some stupid time-zone issue. Pittsburgh is in the same time zone as Kiev I think.
On a positive not, LaHair hit 2 balls to the warning track that were flyouts there but would have been home runs in Wrigley.
I read that Dempster beat up the water cooler and was throwing stuff around in the dugout because he didn’t want to be taken out of the game. This guy is a head case and a cancer for this ballclub. I can’t wait for them to ship him out.
I read Dempster’s little sob story that he has”the right to be angry.” Well the fans have a right,too,to boo every time he sets foot in Wrigley….
A week and a half ago a majority of the trade rumors around baseball had to do with Cubs players…Garza, Dempster, LaHair, Barney, and even Soto…
Now?
I had a good evening watching the Dodgers-Cardinals game. The Dodgers couldn’t hit, their new guy Hanley Ramirez got them a run, but their relief pitcher pulled a Dempster in the 10th and wouldn’t give the ball to Mattingly. They were out there awhile and when the ump came to break it up, Mattingly pulled a Dempster and was tossed out of the game. They put in 2 more pitchers and lost to the Cardinals. But it was great watching someone else’s bullpen act stupid…..
It’s 8:45a.m.PST-have the Cubs played yet? Or do they have a day off to ponder their fates?