The Chicago Cubs had quite the eventful trade deadline. They were able to deal several players from their major league roster, but none was more followed than right-hander Ryan Dempster, who reportedly turned down a deal that would have sent him to the Atlanta Braves before he was eventually traded to the Texas Rangers.
Despite these reports, Dempster told the Waddle & Silvy show on ESPN 1000 that he "didn’t turn down any trades."
"The truth of the matter is, at the end of the day, I didn't turn down any trades. All I asked for was more time on one particular trade. I didn't really get that time. It got leaked out that I said yes and then I said no. And even after I said no -- I never officially said no -- I said I needed time to think about it, and I have the right to that time. I know people want an answer overnight, but I've been traded twice in my career with no say and so to have a little bit of say and time to make a decision, that's all I wanted. Unfortunately it went down the way it did. I felt bad for the Atlanta Braves. They are a first-class, top-notch organization."
While Dempster and several former teammates in Chicago were dealt, the Cubs were unable to move veteran outfielder Alfonso Soriano. According to George Ofman of WBBM, the Cubs were offered "2nd tier prospects" from the Detroit Tigers for Soriano, but they were not interested. Ofman did add that a trade could be revisited if and when Soriano clears waivers.
With the Cubs shedding several veteran players from their roster, they will have room to take a closer look at some of their up-and-comers. Two of these players, Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters, may join the major league roster later this month, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Levine notes that if they were to join the Cubs, they would play every day.