Dempster Dove - The Sports Staff's Take

Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster announced this past weekend he would not be playing any baseball in 2014. The 36 year old journeyman's announcement is said to not only be a surprise to the fans, but the organization as well. Under contract for another season, Dempster has left 13 plus million on the table. “I don’t feel like I am capable of performing to the ability and standard that I am accustomed to,” Dempster told Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. “ Ryan's sudden statement has left Red Sox nation a buzz, supplying no shortage of opinions. Here's what our "experts" think. 

Ryan Fox

Let’s be frank, many Boston Red Sox fans are not going to be heartbroken if Ryan Dempster takes the year off. His numbers weren’t too spectacular last year (8-9 record in 29 starts, 4.57 ERA with 157 Ks and 79 walks in 171.1 innings) to justify the $13.25 million he made that season.
Now going forward, the Red Sox still have the likes of Bucholz, Lester, Peavy, Doubront, and Lackey pegged as their staring rotation. At best Dempster would more than likely be a bullpen arm, mostly a long relief pitcher who comes in a starter gets pulled after two innings. Next with Dempster taking time off, it’ll give Red Sox prospects like an Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, or a Matt Barnes a chance to make an impact at the Boston level. So if Dempster wants to take a year off, let him. They’ll just find somebody else to do the workload.

Kevin Aherne

The Sox will be fine without Dempster... as long as the rotation stays healthy. So check that, they are screwed.  
In 2013, Dempster was not a shutdown top of the rotation starter, but he did possess one key attribute: reliability. He made 32 starts last season, and more than half of those were quality starts.  When he was asked to drop back to the bullpen in October, he graciously accepted, with no complaint.  Dempster's value to Boston was invaluable.

Michael Parente


Though it won't match the infamous duck boat championship parade the Red Sox held in November after winning their third World Series title in the past 10 years, they could squeeze out a quick dry run this week in downtown Fort Myers on the heels of human piñata Ryan Dempster announcing he won't pitch for Boston this year.
A pitcher with an ERA north of 4.00 volunteering to remove himself from the already-crowded pitching rotation is cause for celebration. 

Citing a lingering neck injury and the need to spend more time with his family, Dempster is stepping away from baseball in 2014, which is no big loss for the Red Sox unless you think having a jokester in the clubhouse who can't pitch is worth $13.25 million. I'd be yucking it up, too, if I made that much money for being mediocre at my job. Dempster is classified as an innings-eater, which is a nice way of saying his only skill set is being able to post 200 innings a year without his arm falling off. 
The idea of having "too much pitching" is an absurd theory, but the Red Sox technically had six pitchers vying for five spots. Someone will inevitably get hurt or disappoint, which will open up a spot for someone else, but if Boston's farm system is as deep as everyone wants you to believe it is, they should have no problem dipping into Triple-A Pawtucket to find a serviceable stopgap. And if all else fails and they'd rather have a veteran presence as an insurance policy, there's always Ervin Santana, who still doesn't have a home despite posting a sub-4.00 ERA last year -- the third time in four seasons he's done so despite pitching in the hitter-friendly American League. With Dempster gone, the Sox have another $13.25 million they can either spend or sit on. 
If they don't spend it on talent, they could use it to throw the biggest victory parade south of the Mason Dixon Line.

Pal

Who Cares! This market is to hands on, when it comes to it's sports. Dempster was a servicable innings eater for Boston's championship run. An invaluable role filled by  names like Wakefield & Tavares in years past. However pitching is the one thing you can never have enough of. The Sox now have $13 million to find themselves a suitable arm or two. Time is also on their side, as the calender still reads Febuary . The real insult here, comes in the way of the organization's alleged "surprise" when they heard the news. It's perfectly logical to think that a veteran such as Dempster, who quite frankly has played on some horrible teams for most of his career, would want to go out on top.  Proffesional athletes do not wake up one day and say "that's it, I'm done." Ti insinuate that is just insulting.

---

More WBOB Sports

• MLB Notebook - Enough With The Snow

• Two-time champ Mayorga hopes to tame Munoz in long-awaited return Feb. 21st at Twin River
  Former champ Johnson invades Rhode Island Feb. 21st 
• Cold, Hard Reality
  

• NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2014