The Los Angeles Dodgers were the reported favorite all week to right-handed starter Ryan Dempster, but it appears they may be looking in a new direction. There is no denying the Dodgers need to improve their starting rotation, but the asking price for Dempster is high and he'll likely skip town in free agency once the season ends.
This all being said, it looks like trade talks between LA and the Cubs is slowly falling apart. Here's the latest from Ken Rosenthal:
Source: #Dodgers "very unlikely" for #Cubs' Dempster. Prefer not to trade better prospects for rentals. Garza (thru 13) more logical target.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 21, 2012
The news comes from an unnamed source, so take it with a grain of salt for now. Still, Rosenthal is typically very solid with his reporting and seldom releases news if he doesn't feel it's legitimate.
Garza, 28, has very similar numbers to Dempster over the course of his career, but he's struggled a bit in 2012 with the long ball and away from home. Since he's under team control for another season, it would make more sense for LA to pursue him instead of Dempster.
More to come throughout the weekend as news continues to trickle in.
For more on the Dodgers, check out True Blue LA.