After talking with some well-informed sources this afternoon, it appears that the Cubs may have more possibilities than just the Los Angeles Dodgers to trade Ryan Dempster to. According to people with knowledge of the discussions, Dempster is willing to consider other teams than the Dodgers but as is his right he wants time to consider his options before giving his approval to a trade.
Ryan is willing to look at any opportunity that the Cubs bring to him but in the end he has 10 and 5 rights and he will use them to veto a trade he is not comfortable with, the source said.Sources also confirmed to me today that Dempster has not told Cubs management that he will only play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His position appears to be that he will consider any option that sends him to a team with a chance to win a World Series. The sticking point with the original deal with Atlanta was the fact that by making the trade early in the week it eliminated any chance for LA to increase its offer and Dempster wanted time to give the Dodgers a chance to increase their proposal so that he could play out west and with Ted Lilly.Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer according to two formers GMs who have negotiated against them in the past will not cave in just to make a deal. If the Dodgers do not increase their offer the Cubs may engage in serious talks with several other teams in the market for starting pitching and if they can find an acceptable deal they would then present that opportunity to Dempster. As we draw closer to the July 31st deadline the Cubs will find out just how serious the 35 year old Dempster is about wanting to pitch in a pennant race this fall.