After initially looking hard at acquiring Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, the Detroit Tigers are reportedly one of 10 teams interested in the services of Garza's teammate Ryan Dempster according to ESPN Chicago.
The 35-year-old strikeout artist is currently riding one of the most impressive pitching streaks fathomable, reeling off five consecutive starts without yielding a single earned run. Dempster last allowed a baserunner to cross home plate back on May 30, which is quite a remarkable feat any way you slice it.
Though last year's 10-14 campaign that featured an abysmal 4.80 ERA seemed to indicate that Dempster was on the downside of his career, it's hard to ignore with the numbers he's put forth as of late. His 1.02 WHIP this season is quite literally eye-popping when you consider that he's never posted a number lower than 1.21 since he broke into the bigs in 1998.
The issue for the Tigers, though, might be the cost associated with dealing for an aging pitcher that might never have more trade value than he has right now. The veteran hurler's hot streak has been absolutely ideal for the Cubs, who will surely haul in much more talent now than they would have if they swung a deal for him two months ago.
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