MLB Trade Rumors: Dempster to Dodgers Would Ensure Postseason Appearance

The Los Angeles Dodgers are just out of the playoff picture, but acquiring Ryan Dempster would make the Dodgers legitimate contenders in the National League and push them into the postseason.

The Dodgers started the season on fire and had the best record in the National League for a short span of time. That was all before the red-hot Matt Kemp went down with a hamstring injury and Los Angeles lost their lead in the division.

Matt Kemp is back now, but the Dodgers still haven’t made up much ground on the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants.

One of the weaker aspects of the Dodgers this season has been their pitching. They’ve been getting by with ace Clayton Kershaw and a slew of veteran hurlers that are well past their prime. It would be smart to add a starting pitcher as the trade deadline nears and Ryan Dempster would be a nice fit.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti is in hot pursuit of Dempster and is the favorite to land the right-hander, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Cubs are still determining where or if they want to trade Dempster, even though Los Angeles is a favored destination, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Dempster would be a huge improvement over some of the pitchers currently in the Los Angeles starting rotation. Chris Capuano has been a big surprise, leading the team in wins with nine, but that’s about it aside from Kershaw.

Aaron Harang has a decent ERA, but doesn’t strike out many guys and walks more than you’d like. Chad Billingsley, who hasn’t been that great this year either, is sidelined with an elbow injury. Ted Lilly has been very good, but has been limited to just eight starts while Nathan Eovaldi has been forgettable.

Dempster would provide stability to a rotation that has lacked consistency over the course of the season. He’s won his last five starts for the Cubs and hasn’t allowed a run in nearly two months (33 innings). There’s only been one start this season where he hasn’t given his team the opportunity to win.

Los Angeles could pursue other pitching options at the trade deadline, but no one gives the Dodgers more bang for their buck than Dempster. The Cubs would likely eat the majority of the $14 million that Dempster is owed this season in exchange for a mid-level prospect.

It shouldn’t be long before we know where Dempster will end up, as the Cubs are working hard to move him by the end of the week, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark. The Dodgers have the opportunity to land him, it won’t cost them much at all and he could be highly successful. There isn’t a lot of risk involved with this deal at all.

Acquiring Dempster would vastly improve the Dodgers' rotation and help them jump the Giants to secure a spot in the postseason.