Ryan Dempster Rumors: Yankees, Red Sox, Nationals, Dodgers

With the Chicago Cubs reportedly looking to trade right-hander Ryan Dempster sooner than later, Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times said a deal could be imminent. Ginnetti and Joel Sherman of The New York Post offer updates on the pursuit of Dempster by several teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.

Ginnetti reports that while the Dodgers were considered the front-runner for Dempster last month, sources are saying LA "might have cooled just enough" on the veteran to put other teams in the picture.

Ginnetti also passes along news from sources stating the Nationals and Yankees interest in Dempster "isn’t nearly as strong as several reports indicate." That might leave the Tigers, Red Sox and Braves "at the front of the Dempster derby," according to Ginnetti.

According to Sherman, the Dodgers are still the favorite for Dempster, and he adds the Tigers as "strong pursuers." Yesterday it was reported that the Red Sox were aggressively in pursuit of Dempster, but Sherman lists them as "long shots."

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Will Dempster be traded by the end of the week?

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