The Los Angeles Dodgers took a pass Ryan Dempster, not wanting to give up prospect Allen Webster in a trade. Dempster exercised his 10/5 rights last week in nixing a deal that would have sent him to the Atlanta Braves.
Dempster told the Cubs earlier today that he would accept a trade to the Yankees, Dodgers and Rangers, and with that the Texas Rangers acquired Ryan Dempster in a trade that will send two Class A players to the Cubs, 3B Christian Villanueva and RHP Kyle Hendricks.
Hendricks, 22, has a 2.82 ERA over 130 innings at Class A Myrtle Beach
Dempster is pitching to a 2.25 ERA over 104 innings. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and is owed nearly $5 million for the rest of 2012.
Dempster was originally drafted by the Rangers, in 1995 before being traded to the Marlins. The Rangers have been in search of more starting pitching leading up to the deadline, including checking in with the Tampa Bay Rays about James Shields, Josh Beckett of the Red Sox, and Josh Johnson of the Marlins.
The Dodgers and Cubs worked tirelessly on a deal that could get completed, including adding outfielder Alfonso Soriano to the deal. The sticking point became the Cubs demand for pitching prospects including Webster, who was rated the 95th overall prospect by Baseball America before the 2012 season.
The Braves thought they had acquired Dempster only to be rebuffed by him. Atlanta ended up acquiring Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson in a trade with the Cubs
Rangers land Ryan Dempster
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 31, 2012
