Cubs Tue Jul 24 2012

Dempster Traded, Then Isn't, But Still Might Be

By Chad Ruter

What happened yesterday afternoon would not have occurred ten years ago. Sure, you can say that about a lot in the internet age, but in the sports world, the shenanigans on Twitter are the perfect start to a story your father might tell you. "Back in my day, things like this didn't happen..."

According to the sources of many trusted baseball writers (Ken Rosenthal, Mark Bowman, Kevin Goldstein, Keith Law, even MLB.com), the Cubs had traded Ryan Dempster (and presumably cash) to the Atlanta Braves for 22-year-old rookie starter Randall Delgado. A great haul for a player that could end up being a two-month rental for the Braves.

Delgado was ranked as a Top-50 prospect by Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America, and was ranked 98th overall by ESPN's Keith Law. He wasn't the best pitcher in the Braves system (with that award going to injured minor leaguer Julio Teheran), but as a projected mid-rotation starter, the talent being returned to the Cubs was surely present.

Then the train fell off the tracks. Dempster tweeted that he had not been traded, and he had no idea where the rumors were coming from. Writers that had previously mentioned the deal being done began backtracking. The swap went from finished, to just needing Dempster's approval (he has no-trade rights), to 50/50, to nobody knows anything in the matter of 30 minutes.

Dempster arrived at the ballpark to begin suiting up, and didn't seem pleased with all the rumors. He sarcastically told reporters, "If it's on the internet, it must be true."

Dale Svuem didn't know of the rumors either, but that's because he doesn't know what Twitter is (I don't believe him when he says that, but that's a story for another time).

And with that, the season continued. The Cubs shutout the (I can't believe I'm typing this) second place Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0, behind a masterful eight innings of one-hit work from Jeff Samardzija (the only hit being an infield single where Samardzija was late covering first). Alfonso Soriano provided the offense, with a pair of RBI doubles that drove in Starlin Castro in the fourth and ninth innings.

More reports after the game had it somewhere between the deal still getting done, and some thinking the window of opportunity had passed. My gut tells me it still happens, but it won't be Dempster for Delgado straight up. There's little doubt that Dempster will be dealt eventually, but the Braves may not be the ultimate destination.

Time is starting to become a factor though. Shortly after the Dempster drama started, the Detroit Tigers, in desperate need for starting pitching, dealt top prospect Jacob Turner along with two other players to Miami for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. It's a blow to both Chicago fan bases, considering the White Sox will now have a tougher time making the playoffs with a new starter and second baseman in the fold for Detroit, and the Cubs have one less potential trade partner.

Hopefully we learn more today, and hopefully something close to the original deal gets done. Delgado would be a great add to a team trying to load up with potential. He may not be a star right now, but if that's what the Cubs were looking for, Twitter wouldn't be flooded with Dempster trade rumors, would it?