BBTF.org/m/chicago : MLB: Braves, Cubs agree on deal involving Ryan Dempser

Thursday, January 31, 2013

AZ Republic: Mark Grace pleads guilty to Scottsdale DUI

(www.azcentral.com)

posted on January 31, 2013 at 01:36 PM by Gold Star - just Gold Star to arizona, chicago, crime, cubs, diamondbacks | 12 comment(s)

Mark Grace, in court Thursday, pleaded guilty to endangerment and DUI, avoiding what could have been a lengthy prison sentence.

Instead, a judge imposed a sentence that includes work-release jail time as well as three years of supervised probation. Additionally, an Interlock device must be installed in his vehicle for six months and he will need permission to travel out of state.

His work-release sentence begins Feb. 10.

Grace, a former Diamondbacks player and broadcaster, was charged with ...

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1. Bruce Markusen posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:08 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

This has the makings of Steve Trout all over again.

2. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:10 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Sounds like the Cubs may be close to dealing Matt Garza to the Dodgers for Zach Lee too.

I don't get the Dempster deal at all. Is Dempster even that much of a guarantee to be better than Randall Delgado the remainder of this season?

3. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:12 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Hopefully this works as well as when the Tigers traded for Jarrod Washburn.

4. bunyon posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:16 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

#2 I think he'll be better than Delgado this year. But not by a whopping amount. And then you're faced with either signing a 36 year old FA or getting...nothing.

I suppose if I thought the Braves were within reach of serious contention, I might be okay with this. But, as it is, no, I don't like it at all.

5. Matt Clement of Alexandria posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I said elsewhere that one top-50 prospect for Dempster was a solid return. Delgado was BA's #46 coming into the season, so, seems about right. They do lose a year of service time compared to the usual prospect, but gain a lot more 2013-2014 value. The Cubs should be looking to compete in 2013-2014, so that's good.

6. Brian C posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I don't get the Dempster deal at all. Is Dempster even that much of a guarantee to be better than Randall Delgado the remainder of this season?

Well, from a Cubs fan's perspective, it does help answer the question of "how can the Cubs avoid 100 losses after they trade Dempster?" rather nicely. After all, whether or not he can be expected to be better than Dempster, Delgado certainly can be expected to be better than Casey Coleman!

7. Corn On Ty Cobb posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:18 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Frank Wren done lost his damn mind.

8. Pops Freshenmeyer posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:24 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I believe the Cubs have the impending Cole Hamels extension to thank for this.

9. PASTE Thinks This Trout Kid Might Be OK (Zeth) posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:24 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Or perhaps Frank Wren knows something about Delgado that we don't.....

10. Srul Itza posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I love fluke seasons. Every dog should have his day.

11. McCoy Wilfong for Money posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

So that's what 6 million dollars looks like.

12. andrewberg posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:26 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I get it- Atlanta wants to push for a postseason run in Chipper's final year and Dempster is more mature/polished/whatever to stabilize an up-and-down rotation, and the only cost was a good prospect at a surplus position- but I wouldn't do it.

13. Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:29 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Ack, the typo in the headline is driving me nuts. Feel like a moron.

14. Dag Nabbit has the talking pillow posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:32 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I don't get the Dempster deal at all. Is Dempster even that much of a guarantee to be better than Randall Delgado the remainder of this season?

Well, Dempster does have the best ERA in the NL at the moment, 2.11. Yes there's regression to the mean and random variation and true talent level and all that but .. Dempster does currently have the best ERA in the NL. When a guy has an ERA of 2.11 entering July 23, odds are fairly strong he'll be better the rest of the way than a guy with an ERA of 4.42.

15. CFBF Hates Hyphens posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:34 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Hate it. Hate it.

Delgado's having a standard-issue sub-par rookie season. Below-average ERA+, decent strikeout rate, good home run rate, too many walks. And pretty damn good stuff. There's nothing particularly ominous about Delgado's performance while there is every reason to think he'll grow into a solid pitcher.

Dempster's going to fall back a bit, but I doubt he'll plummet. He's a good pitcher and he's performed admirably for the Cubs over the last nine (!) seasons. I'm sure he'll be an upgrade for the Braves. But Dempster's a 35-year-old pitcher entering his free agent year, and the only thing worse than losing him after two months of work would be giving him a Derek Lowe contract entering his age 36 season.

I just don't see how you can give up Delgado for Dempster. Greinke's a different animal: younger, a better chance at dramatically impacting a pennant race, a better chance at serving as a long-term ace. But Delgado for Dempster...ugh.

16. Pops Freshenmeyer posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I feel it's worth pointing out that Dempster is a pretty decent pitcher.

Since the Cubs moved him to the rotation his ERA+s have been:

154
122
110
80

Before this year's 186 (so far). He has been kind of underrated for having a very nice half decade.

17. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Any word on if the Cubs are eating a portion of Dempster's contract? Delgado seems a high price to pay if there isn't salary relief for the Braves.

18. Kiko Sakata

posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

When a guy has an ERA of 2.11 entering July 23, odds are fairly strong he'll be better the rest of the way than a guy with an ERA of 4.42.

Ryan Dempster's career ERA coming into this season was 4.41.

EDIT: I actually agree with Pops in #16: Dempster's a good pitcher; I was just struck by how close his career ERA was to what Delgado's done so far this year.

19. Gern Blanston posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:37 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I really like this deal for the Cubs. And he loves pitching here, so if there's any team with a chance to get him on the cheap(ish) as an FA...

20. Pops Freshenmeyer posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:38 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Early reports have the Cubs sending cash.

21. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:39 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Official Ryan Dempster twitter: THERE IS NO TRADE dont know where this info came from!

Note: Dempster is a 10/5 player

22. Gern Blanston posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:39 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

And if he doesn't return, well--hats off to Dempster for a pretty nice run. He was claimed off the injury scrap heap as a multi-year rehab project, and had pretty good runs as both a closer and as a starter for the Cubs, and was an easy guy to root for all along. And if you believe WAR, he was the best player on the best team the Cubs have fielded in the last 60 years.

23. SouthSideRyan posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:40 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The Cubs were supposedly going to pay the freight in any trades in order to get a better prospect.

24. Gern Blanston posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:40 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

And, too, maybe we should wait for some confirmation.

25. Gern Blanston posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:41 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The Cubs were supposedly going to pay the freight in any trades in order to get a better prospect.

Their being a crappy team with a lot of money, one would hope so.

26. amhendrick posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:42 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think it's a good deal for the Braves. They ARE in serious contention . . . they are a WC team right now and only 3.5 behind Washington. They might be closer if they hadn't had to pitch Jurrjens yesterday. Dempster's been fluky-good so far this year, but overall he's been better than average 4 out of the last 5 years.

27. bfan posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:43 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Doesn't this still leave the god-awful Jurrjens in the rotation? If for that reason alone, I would have rather given up Tehran (unless they plan to bring up Tehran, and DFA Jurrjens).

28. nick swisher hygiene posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:43 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I don't understand the snark in the original post: is the fact that Dempster's been a well above average starter for a period of 900+ innings since 2008 really so "esoteric"? Surely any halfway-informed baseball fan would know this?

edit: eg, the guys who posted #16 and #18 while I was, uh, refining my phrasing....

29. Dan The Mediocre posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:47 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I don't understand the snark in the original post: is the fact that Dempster's been a well above average starter for a period of 900+ innings since 2008 really so "esoteric"? Surely any halfway-informed baseball fan would know this?

edit: eg, the guys who posted #16 and #18 while I was, uh, refining my phrasing....

I don't think they think Dempster won't be good, but rather that they gave up a pitcher who is still very young and almost an average MLB starter for half a season of Dempster.

30. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:48 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The Cubs were supposedly going to pay the freight in any trades in order to get a better prospect.

Thanks. That makes sense to me.

They might be closer if they hadn't had to pitch Jurrjens yesterday.

Yup. Delgado was called up to pitch in the double header, so he was going back down. Or Jurrjens was. Either way, Dempster replaces the guy pretending to be Jair Jurrjens. Even if he sharply regresses to the mean, he's a nice improvement. Hanson/Hudson/Sheets/Minor/Dempster is the rotation now. Better than it was yesterday, but potentially robbing Peter to pay Paul.

31. Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:50 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I don't understand the snark in the original post: is the fact that Dempster's been a well above average starter for a period of 900+ innings since 2008 really so "esoteric"? Surely any halfway-informed baseball fan would know this?

I don't doubt that Dempster is a pretty good pitcher -- not as good as his current half-season, but still better than average and a valuable addition to any rotation.

But Delgado is young, decent enough, and has a lot of potential. Meanwhile Dempster is a half-season rental and, because of the new CBA, the Braves won't even get a compensation pick if he leaves for another team next year. It's a short-sighted move given the position the Braves are in.

EDIT: Coke to Dan at #29.

32. Joey B. has ignited his October #Natitude posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:51 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Why the hell is MLBs official website reporting a story like this with a headline that implies that a deal is done when it isn't even official yet? This kind of get the story out as fast as possible and who gives a crap about the facts journalism is so infuriating.

33. Dag Nabbit has the talking pillow posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:51 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

When a guy has an ERA of 2.11 entering July 23, odds are fairly strong he'll be better the rest of the way than a guy with an ERA of 4.42.

Ryan Dempster's career ERA coming into this season was 4.41.

Yeah, but he had some horrible years early and was a middling reliever for the Cubs for a bit. As you yourself acknowledge, on the whole he's been a good starting pitcher for the last several years.

34. Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Why the hell is MLBs official website reporting a story like this with a headline that implies that a deal is done when it isn't even official yet? This kind of get the story out as fast as possible and who gives a crap about the facts journalism is so infuriating.

Check the byline - was it written by Brian Ross?

35. bfan posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:54 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Check the byline - was it written by Brian Ross?

That was pretty funny.

36. Dan The Mediocre posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:55 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Check the byline - was it written by Brian Ross?

Mark Bowman. But it was updated at 3:45 EDT to include Dempster's tweet.

EDIT: Completely missed the joke. Thought he was referencing a real MLB.com writer.

37. Matt Clement of Alexandria posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:55 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Why the hell is MLBs official website reporting a story like this with a headline that implies that a deal is done when it isn't even official yet?

MLB.com has a slightly odd relationship with MLB. It's got its own journalists and is not subject to specific oversight of reporting or analysis. They're following normal reporting ethics - if you have the sources, you have a story, even if you don't have official confirmation. It is a little odd to see that on "MLB.com", but that's how the site runs.

38. UCCF posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:55 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I remember the last time the Cubs traded for young Braves pitching. It worked out great. Right, Joey Nation, Micah Bowie, and Ruben Quevado?

The Braves got a decent half-season out of Terry Mulholland, followed by a crappy season. They also got a crappy half-season out of Jose Hernandez. But it's still more than the Cubs got out of Bowie, Nation, and Quevado.

39. Guapo posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:56 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Rosenthal:

My best guess on what's happening with #Cubs' Dempster. Agreement or near-agreement on players and cash, no agreement with Dempster. MORE.

Dempster 10/5 rights, can veto any deal. #Braves his No. 2 choice after #Dodgers. May simply be matter of enticing him to waive no-trade.

40. UCCF posted on July 23, 2012 at 03:57 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I do like the "panic move" tag. That's cute.

41. Kiko Sakata

posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:04 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Dempster 10/5 rights, can veto any deal. #Braves his No. 2 choice after #Dodgers. May simply be matter of enticing him to waive no-trade.

This doesn't really make sense to me. If the Braves are his #2 choice, then (a) that implies that he and the Cubs have already talked about where he'd be willing to go, and (b) it also implies that Atlanta is a place that he'd be willing to go.

42. SoSH U at work posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:05 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Soes do the new rule prohibiting compensation for FA who are traded mean more bucks, on average, for a guy like Dempster when he hits the market?

43. Robert in Manhattan Beach posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:05 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Frank Wren seduced by another fluky partial season. Water is wet. It's got to be an improvement over the Alex Gonzalez train of misery.

44. bfan posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:05 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Maybe its Dimaster Delgado.

45. Dale Sams posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:07 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Anybody could have had Edwin Jackson for just cash...jus sayin. And that option will be ignored by 29 teams in 2013 too.

46. Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:11 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

How funny would it be if the trade here fell through because Dempster refused to waive his no-trade clause?

Is there any chance of such a thing actually happening? (Actually, sure -- Carlos Lee did it earlier this year with the Dodgers.)

47. Brian C posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:13 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

How funny would it be if the trade here fell through because Dempster refused to waive his no-trade clause?

NOT AT ALL FUNNY.

48. Joey B. has ignited his October #Natitude posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:14 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The tone of that tweet certainly doesn't sound like that of someone who is going to accept the trade. But it could just be that he's annoyed that the story got leaked before he was informed of it by the team, or something like that.

49. Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:15 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

NOT AT ALL FUNNY.

Oh come on...it would be at least KIND OF funny.

50. Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' posted on July 23, 2012 at 04:16 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The tone of that tweet certainly doesn't sound like that of someone who is going to accept the trade.

Can't wait until it emerges that Dempster doesn't want to be traded from the Cubs because he's heavily invested in a cattle-ranching business out in the Barrington suburbs of Chicago.

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Thursday, January 31, 2013

AZ Republic: Mark Grace pleads guilty to Scottsdale DUI

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