Ryan Dempster Rumors: Red Sox in Hot Pursuit?

UPDATE: The Red Sox aren't only not being as aggressive as initially thought, they might not be pursuing Dempster at all, reports Alex Speier of WEEI.

A major league source denied a report that the Red Sox are "aggressive in the pursuit of Ryan Dempster." To the contrary, the source suggested, the Sox have not been pursuing the right-hander actively.

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7:30am: The Boston Red Sox are going after Chicago Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster aggressively, a source has told Buster Olney of ESPN.

Source: The Red Sox are aggressive in the pursuit of Ryan Dempster. Cubs going through their process on the right-hander.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 16, 2012

With questions at the back of the rotation all season, and now 9.5 games back in the AL East, the Red Sox seem to believe the 35-year-old Dempster would help turn their season around. With Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury returning from injuries, now seems to be as good a time as any for the Red Sox to make a big move.

Olney reported earlier that he believed the Cubs will get the most return for Dempster if they trade him sooner rather than later. If the Cubs are operating on a similar line of thought, with his next start scheduled for Friday evening Dempster may be traded in the next few days.

The Red Sox are not alone in their pursuit of the right-hander. Over the weekend it was reported that at least teams teams have shown "legitimate interest" in Dempster, including the Dodgers, Indians, Tigers, Yankees, White Sox and Braves.

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Would Dempster help the Red Sox make a late season push?

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