Ryan Dempster hasn't reached an agreement with an MLB team yet this offseason, but it's not like he hasn't had his chances.
According to ESPN, Dempster rejected a two-year deal from the Boston Red Sox on Friday night:
Source: Dempster rejects $25M Red Sox offer: The Boston Red Sox made a two-year, $25 million offer to free agent... es.pn/VRXQ25
— espnmlb (@espnmlb) December 8, 2012
This is pretty shocking considering how old Dempster is and the money that was on the table. The 35-year-old is not going to get many opportunities to be an ace anywhere, meaning it would be wise for him to accept a deal that allowed him to be a prominent starting rotation member.
Between the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers last season, Dempster had a 12-8 record with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He didn't blow anyone away, but his ground-ball pitching allowed him to string together pretty solid numbers across the board.
The 14-year veteran has definitely lost a step in terms of ability, but he has experience on his side having pitched for four different ball clubs. That said, the American League East would present a different challenge than Dempster is used to.
The right-hander would have fit in behind Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz in the Red Sox rotation, but now Boston will have to look elsewhere.
According to Chicago Tribune writer Paul Sullivan, the Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers are also in the mix. With his most recent rejection, both of those teams still have a chance to land Dempster in free agency.
The innings eater must have his reasons for rejecting Boston's offer. Maybe he likes to throw in the National League, or maybe he wants to be the guy in a lesser rotation.
Whatever it may be, one thing is clear: Dempster won't be a middle-of-the-rotation starter in Beantown.
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