Ryan Dempster reportedly wants trade to Dodgers, not Braves

Ted Lilly, super salesman?

Maybe you heard the news Monday that Chicago Cubs starter Ryan Dempster had been traded to Atlanta, except of course, he wasn’t.

Dempster has veto power over a trade and apparently the Cubs thought they had his approval, only as it turned out, they did not. At least not yet.

It seems Dempster wants to be a Dodger and be reunited with his former Cubs teammate Lilly, and since there is still a week to go before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, he is in no hurry to give his blessing to the Braves while the Dodgers are still interested.

Which has left the Cubs in a bit of a bind, and hopefully for the Dodgers, has increased their bargaining position.

The Braves reportedly offered minor league right-hander Randall Delgado, who was ranked as baseball’s No. 46 overall prospect before the season by Baseball America. That’s a stiff price to pay for a two-month rental, the 35-year-old Dempster eligible for free agency at the end of the season. Major League Baseball has added one wild-card team in each league this season, but sometimes it feels like 10.

The Dodgers’ top-rated prospect by Baseball America was right-hander Zach Lee, at No. 62. That, however, still made him their highest-rated prospect. And Braves’ offer or not, that still seems way too much to give up.

It’s not known what the Dodgers’ offer was, only that the Cubs liked the Braves’ better. Jon Heyman at CBS Sports said Tuesday the Cubs were back talking to the Dodgers and may simply realize it’s easier to make the best deal they can with Los Angeles. Correctly, the Dodgers don’t want to deal Lee.

Lilly told The Times’ Dylan Hernandez that he has been speaking with Dempster about the possibility of him joining the Dodgers, and he must have been giving out a pretty good report.

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