The Chicago Cubs are sitting in last place in the NL Central with a record of 21-41, and the trade rumors about Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano have been flying around for quite a while. Dempster met with team president of baseball operations Theo Epstein on Wednesday, and they likely talked about his future with the Cubs (via ESPNChicago):
"We discussed a lot of things and obviously there are a lot of things being talked about. I have been around long enough that I know just to concentrate on doing my job the best I can and stay focused and by doing that I am being a good teammate. When you're young and get traded you see it as a negative sometimes, but if you look at it from the other side that means other teams are interested in you."
He has posted a 2.31 ERA and 1.027 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 20 walks over 74.0 innings, but he is 35 years old and in the final year of a four-year, $52 million deal he signed back in 2009. A recent trade rumor has linked Dempster to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage and other news, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. For more from around the world of baseball be sure to visit Baseball Nation.