Kerry Wood may be on his way out, but Ryan Dempster will be in Chicago for the next four years. The Cubs locked up their ace Game One NLDS starter this afternoon with a $52 million contract.
I would assume we can stick a fork in those Jake Peavy talks now, though that may have been a pipe dream anyway if the Cubs were only offering Sean Gallagher, Kevin Hart, and Mike Fontenot, as some reports stated.
So, Cubs fans, how do you feel about this? Did Dempster pitch over his head last year? Will he still be productive in 2012? Maybe this is a bargain for a pitcher that won 17 games last year with an ERA under 3.00.
In other baseball news, Albert Pujols and Dustin Pedroia are your MVPs. Discuss amongst yourselves.
Stu Courtney is in his seventh year as sports editor of the 
For some odd reason, it seems as though every time a Chicago sports franchise comes across the table with a big contract for a player, that's pretty much the end of his career, as far as productivity is concerned. (Michael Jordan excepted)
I think this signing was a mistake. Dempster was terrible in the playoffs and was lucky to have a career year.
Passing on Jake Peavy for this?
Not the smartest move there.
I agree with the above three posts. Was it done because it was the easiest signing the Cubs could've made?(YES) Remember Dempster in the playoffs? (UGH) Will he average 17 wins the next 4 years? (NO) The news was almost as good as hearing that Pinella got MOY.
I'm in favor of the re-signing, although the cost kind of boggles the mind. Let's hope he is not like Urlacher and Hester, deciding to semi-retire after getting big contracts. He has Cy Young award stuff if he can keep his focus and avoid second-guessing his catcher. I recall a number of catcher's signs he shook off only to have the batter blast the next pitch. I'm not sure the Cubs need another pitcher. If Hill can overcome his control issues,they are in great shape. A power left-handed bat or switch-hitter would be a nice addition.
As a Cub fan, I'll be nieve and say this was a steal on paper. Now reality is setting in, ahh. The fact that Dempster has miles on his reconstructed arm, is not overpowering (ala Nolan Ryan in his 40's), and is coming off a career year, reality bites. Take in to account the lop-sideed schedule, teams in the NL central will adjust to what he wants to do. Can I live in a dream world?