By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune –
PITTSBURGH — The long goodbye for Ryan Dempster may head into overtime after the Cubs’ veteran said Tuesday he would take his time to make a decision on what he called his options.
Dempster has until July 31 to let the Cubs know if he would go to the Braves in the proposed deal for 22-year-old starter Randall Delgado, though his hesitation gives the Braves a chance to back out and the Cubs an opportunity to rekindle talks with Dempster’s preferred team, the Dodgers.
“I have a pretty good idea of where I want to go,” Dempster said, declining to name names. “I’m just trying to look at everything, make the best decision for me and my family.”
The Dempster saga began in Milwaukee in early June when he conceded he would waive his 10-and-5 rights to go to a team with a chance to reach the postseason. His season has gone through twists and turns since, including a stint on the disabled list and a 33-inning scoreless streak, all while the Cubs tried to find a team willing to give them the best deal.
Cubs assistant general manager Randy Bush would not acknowledge a trade to the Braves was under consideration.
When asked if the Cubs were OK with Dempster taking his time on making a decision, he replied: “Absolutely.”
Dempster’s teammates seemed to enjoy having a front-row seat. Watching a breathless report on the latest Dempster developments on MLB Network, Joe Mather chimed in: “Breaking news! He’s thinking about it.”
Dempster wasn’t laughing Monday when the report first surfaced on the Braves’ website. Nor was Cubs manager Dale Sveum, who called it a “complete fabrication.”
“I knew about the rumor,” Dempster said Tuesday. “I just didn’t agree to any of it.”
So the Cubs did inform him of the proposed deal before he came to the clubhouse Monday?
“Yeah, they told me there was interest,” he replied. “They’ve been really good about” updating him.
Dempster said his decision was made more difficult because of the premature reports.
“That’s when things start to get harder, when you get everyone’s opinions about what’s going on, and it wasn’t what went on and what took place,” he said.
“So you don’t get to focus your full attention on what you’re trying to do, and you have to focus on everybody else’s perception of what’s going on.”
Both Bush and Sveum said they had no problem with Dempster starting Wednesday against the Pirates.
Doesn’t Matt Garza’s triceps injury Saturday prove it’s a risk?
“Yeah, but you still don’t hold people out when nothing has happened,” Sveum said. “It’s not something you do.
“If it was a position player, would you hold him out for a week because his name is mentioned in things that are in the works? You just don’t start taking people out because of rumors or because their name is mentioned.”
The proposed trade with the Braves, however, has gone beyond the rumor stage.
“Until (team Presiden Theo Epstein) calls me and tell me something happened, you don’t change anything,” Sveum said.
