The Red Sox, as expected, have been reportedly very busy to begin the offseason. Much of Boston’s reported interest, however, has centered around offensive players like Mike Napoli, Nick Swisher and Cody Ross. The Sox haven’t forgotten about adding pitching depth, though.
FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Red Sox are among a few teams who have expressed some interest in free-agent starting pitcher Ryan Dempster. According to Rosenthal, the veteran right-hander is seeking a three-year deal.
Sources: #Brewers, #RedSox, #Angels among teams expressing interest in Dempster. Seeking three-year deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2012
It’s no surprise that the Red Sox are potentially in on Dempster. The club reportedly tried to acquire the right-hander before this past season’s trade deadline before the Chicago Cubs dealt Dempster to the Texas Rangers.
The 35-year-old saw varying levels of success in 2012, which just so happened to coincide with his move from the National League to the American League.
In 16 starts with the Cubs, Dempster went 5-5 with a 2.25 ERA in 104 innings of work. Upon moving to the AL, his win-loss record actually improved with the Rangers (who have a little bit better of an offense than the Cubs) and Dempster went 7-3 in 12 starts. However, he was hit fairly hard with the Rangers, posting a 5.09 ERA and 1.435 WHIP in 69 innings.
The trade marked Dempster’s first American League experience. He had spent 14 full seasons in the NL and part of the 2012 in the Senior Circuit with the Cubs. Counting his time with the Rangers as well as interleague play, Dempster is just 11-15 with a 4.63 ERA in 50 career appearances — 35 starts. He’s given up 30 home runs in 229 1/3 innings of work.
Dempster is also 0-4 with a 7.62 ERA in five career starts against the Yankees.
