Ryan Dempster will not pitch in 2014

[Palodios]

Big news, Dempster seems to want to take the year off. Red Sox will not have to pay his salary.

 

Now with 13 million bux to play with, what should they do? Adding another starter would be awesome. This also gives plenty of room to resign Stephen Drew.

[a700hitter]

Unless he has a fatal illness, this guy is a fool. LOL!! This guy may be the biggest fool to wear a Red Sox uniform. LOL!!

[Bellhorn04]

This is great news for the team IMO. As for Dempster, I can understand him doing it this way if he's just not up to pitching this year. It's a lot of money to toss away, but it may be the right thing for him to do personally. This way he doesn't get into any disputes with the team.

 

And I'm pretty sure he's well set financially as it is, having made almost $90 million in his career!

[reYoukilis]

What the.....

[a700hitter]

This is great news for the team IMO. As for Dempster, I can understand him doing it this way if he's just not up to pitching this year. It's a lot of money to toss away, but it may be the right thing for him to do personally. This way he doesn't get into any disputes with the team.

 

And I'm pretty sure he's well set financially as it is, having made almost $90 million in his career!

Turning your back on $13 million is unbelievably stupid.

[crazydiamond]

He's done a big favor to the team if the neck issues are the main reason behind his decision, and that deserves respect.

 

Seems like a great opportunity to test some young guns finally.

[a700hitter]

He's done a big favor to the team if the neck issues are the main reason behind his decision, and that deserves respect.

 

Seems like a great opportunity to test some young guns finally.

I am glad that he walked, but it is an incredibly stupid decision. There is information out there that he and his wife were getting divorced in the fall. If that is true, he is an even bigger jerk. His wife will get half of what he has left from his earning up to this point. Whatever he earns going forward would be 100% his. It's no wonder that his wife is divorcing this jackass.

[Bellhorn04]

Turning your back on $13 million is unbelievably stupid.

 

Not necessarily, when it gives you six months of your life to do other things, and you don't need the money anyway. Depends on your viewpoint I guess.

[a700hitter]

Not necessarily, when it gives you six months of your life to do other things, and you don't need the money anyway. Depends on your viewpoint I guess.

He's a young man. Unless he has been diagnosed with a fatal disease, this is an incredibly stupid decision. His divorce will take a big chunk of what he has earned. A couple of decades will erode more of his holdings and he will still be a young man with no prospects of being a big earner. Idiots like this also tend to invest their money poorly. The guy is a dope. Viewpoint has nothing to do with it.

[NativeBostonian]

They shouldn't spend the money they saved. Having this money will give them flexibility at the trade deadline. They don't need a pitcher, they've got plentiful and signing Drew will just prevent our top prospect from playing.

[a700hitter]

They shouldn't spend the money they saved. Having this money will give them flexibility at the trade deadline. They don't need a pitcher, they've got plentiful and signing Drew will just prevent our top prospect from playing.

They will do what owners do-- put the money in their pockets. I don't mind in this case. Dempster quitting is addition by subtraction.

[Palodios]

They shouldn't spend the money they saved. Having this money will give them flexibility at the trade deadline. They don't need a pitcher, they've got plentiful and signing Drew will just prevent our top prospect from playing.

 

I don't think they should spend all of it, but they should add some depth. Try to work out minor league contracts on remaining guys like Ryan Madsen, Johan Santana, maybe even Hanrahan, Frank Francisco or Andres Torres. Stephen Drew is still out there, but more than 1/8 or 2/12 is too much.

[lospunchados]

That's a great move as a teammate. He has always been a classy guy and it seems crazy to leave that much money on the table but i respect what he is doing a lot.

[a700hitter]

That's a great move as a teammate. He has always been a classy guy and it seems crazy to leave that much money on the table but i respect what he is doing a lot.

How is this a classy move?

[VA Sox Fan]

How is this a classy move?

 

His issues (whatever they may be) won't distract the team this season. He's putting the team first.

[mvp 78]

Hats off to Dempster. Will always remember him pitching bp to friends and family at 2 AM after winning WS. Good for him!

 

Classy move!

[SoxSport]

Ha. That's a big jolt to the Yankees. Dempster was the one guy the Red Sox didn't need. They could use his $13M salary and his pitching spot more.

 

Maybe he saw the handwriting on the wall. He wasn't in their playoff plans last year, and maybe he thought he could do them a favor. He got himself a ring, and has $100M in the bank, so why get greedy. LOL. Good luck to him.

[Behindenemylines]

If I'm the Sox FO I hold on to the money, and if you have to pick up a contract during the season you have the money to do it. The Sox still have five pitchers penciled in, and two or three ready at AAA. Dempster was probably the odd man out of the six starters they had heading into spring training. I kind of want to start the season with WMB at 3B and X at SS, so I don't want them to rush to get Drew.

[Spitball]

“I don’t feel like I am capable of performing to the ability and standard that I am accustomed to. I feel it’s in the best interest of both the club but most importantly myself to step away from playing baseball at this time," said the 36-year-old (via Twitter links). "The time is right. I’m not saying retirement but I definitely won’t be playing this season." - Ryan Dempster

 

I agree it was a classy and unselfish move. Gil Meche similarly helped the Royals out in 2010 by walking away from $12 million when he knew he could not longer contribute to the team. These players make millions in their careers and should be able to do the honorable thing when they can't perform at the same skill level.

[Behindenemylines]

“I don’t feel like I am capable of performing to the ability and standard that I am accustomed to. I feel it’s in the best interest of both the club but most importantly myself to step away from playing baseball at this time," said the 36-year-old (via Twitter links). "The time is right. I’m not saying retirement but I definitely won’t be playing this season." - Ryan Dempster

I agree it was a classy and unselfish move. Gil Meche similarly helped the Royals out in 2010 by walking away from $12 million when he knew he could not longer contribute to the team. These players make millions in their careers and should be able to do the honorable thing when they can't perform at the same skill level.

 

To the average Joe that makes nothing compared to the millions these guys make this looks stupid, but if he doesn't need the money and doesn't have the desire to pitch this is a classy move.

[mvp 78]

Also, this frees up Drew $$$. You can afford to park him on the bench.

[a700hitter]

“I don’t feel like I am capable of performing to the ability and standard that I am accustomed to. I feel it’s in the best interest of both the club but most importantly myself to step away from playing baseball at this time," said the 36-year-old (via Twitter links). "The time is right. I’m not saying retirement but I definitely won’t be playing this season." - Ryan Dempster

 

I agree it was a classy and unselfish move. Gil Meche similarly helped the Royals out in 2010 by walking away from $12 million when he knew he could not longer contribute to the team. These players make millions in their careers and should be able to do the honorable thing when they can't perform at the same skill level.

If under-performing is the barometer for walking away from money, he owe refunds for his last several seasons. What a jackass! If he couldn't pitch due to injury-- physically unable to perform, i might think that there is some honor in that, but then again, risks to his health were taken into consideration in valuing this guaranteed contract. I am not a union guy, but I think that this guy is a huge sucker. He just compromised his family's financial future for no good reason. As a Red Sox fan, I love that he walked away. If I was his agent, I think that I would blow him up in his car. Playing out his contract and giving the money to reputable charities would be honorable and admirable. Letting the other party to an arm's length contract out of their obligations is not admirable. It's stupid.

[Palodios]

If under-performing is the barometer for walking away from money, he owe refunds for his last several seasons. What a jackass! If he couldn't pitch due to injury-- physically unable to perform, i might think that there is some honor in that, but then again, risks to his health were taken into consideration in valuing this guaranteed contract. I am not a union guy, but I think that this guy is a huge sucker. He just compromised his family's financial future for no good reason. As a Red Sox fan, I love that he walked away. If I was his agent, I think that I would blow him up in his car. Playing out his contract and giving the money to reputable charities would be honorable and admirable. Letting the other party to an arm's length contract out of their obligations is not admirable. It's stupid.

 

You mentioned a divorce earlier. I know nothing of divorces, but if he signed the contract during their marriage, wouldn't she be entitled to half of his previous contract? Maybe he wants to take half a season off, come back midseason when the Red Sox have injuries for 6 million or something, and still make the same amount of money he would because the contract would be signed as a single man.

[a700hitter]

To the average Joe that makes nothing compared to the millions these guys make this looks stupid, but if he doesn't need the money and doesn't have the desire to pitch this is a classy move.

I don't make $12 million/yr., but I do pretty well. Maybe it is my background as any attorney, but this is stupid, because he is giving it back to a profit driven organization, not a charity. If Dempster had discoverd a new pitch and won 20 games last year and had a career year winning the CY Young, the Red Sox would not have given him a penny more than the $13.25 million in 2014 owed him under his contract. There would be nothing dishonorable or classless about that. We would be complimenting the FO on making a good deal for having an undervalued guy on the roster. So, why should he let the Sox off the hook when they would not reciprocate? As for not needing the money, people tend to live up to their means. He is 36 years old and probably has another 30 -40 years left. He may need that money somewhere down the road. All of these guys are looking for cash flow after they are out of the game for a few years. His name is not one that will generate a lot of cash flow.

[a700hitter]

You mentioned a divorce earlier. I know nothing of divorces, but if he signed the contract during their marriage, wouldn't she be entitled to half of his previous contract? Maybe he wants to take half a season off, come back midseason when the Red Sox have injuries for 6 million or something, and still make the same amount of money he would because the contract would be signed as a single man.

I don't know if the spouse would be entitled to amounts earned post divorce if the contract was entered into prior to the divorce. If the contract was valued at the time of the divorce, it would have been taken into account in either the property settlement or the alimony. If it was part of the property settlement, it is a done deal, and his quitting would have no effect. If it was part of the Alimony award, he can petition the court to lower the alimony if he has a change in income. The court might reduce it, but there is no certainty with that. If the court reduces the alimony and then he signs a new contract, the ex could sue to reinstate the original alimony award. Also, good luck to him getting a mid season contract worth $6 million guaranteed. I don't see it.

[Palodios]

His name is not one that will generate a lot of cash flow.

 

He has quite the personality though, and seems pretty chatty. I see no reason why he couldn't end up announcing games, or being an analyst.

[a700hitter]

He has quite the personality though, and seems pretty chatty. I see no reason why he couldn't end up announcing games, or being an analyst.

I could see that as a possibility, but there are lots of former MLB windbags on line in front of him. If he has an offer to announce, I could make sense of this decision. I think Tony Kubek retired from the Yankees in the 1960's because he had an offer from NBC.

[Bellhorn04]

I don't make $12 million/yr., but I do pretty well. Maybe it is my background as any attorney, but this is stupid, because he is giving it back to a profit driven organization, not a charity. If Dempster had discoverd a new pitch and won 20 games last year and had a career year winning the CY Young, the Red Sox would not have given him a penny more than the $13.25 million in 2014 owed him under his contract. There would be nothing dishonorable or classless about that. We would be complimenting the FO on making a good deal for having an undervalued guy on the roster. So, why should he let the Sox off the hook when they would not reciprocate? As for not needing the money, people tend to live up to their means. He is 36 years old and probably has another 30 -40 years left. He may need that money somewhere down the road. All of these guys are looking for cash flow after they are out of the game for a few years. His name is not one that will generate a lot of cash flow.

 

Unless he has been very stupid with his money, he should have a personal net worth of at least 40 million. If the wife gets half that's 20 million. If you can get 2% after-tax return on 18 million of it that's 360K a year without touching the principal.

[VA Sox Fan]

If under-performing is the barometer for walking away from money, he owe refunds for his last several seasons. What a jackass! If he couldn't pitch due to injury-- physically unable to perform, i might think that there is some honor in that, but then again, risks to his health were taken into consideration in valuing this guaranteed contract. I am not a union guy, but I think that this guy is a huge sucker. He just compromised his family's financial future for no good reason. As a Red Sox fan, I love that he walked away. If I was his agent, I think that I would blow him up in his car. Playing out his contract and giving the money to reputable charities would be honorable and admirable. Letting the other party to an arm's length contract out of their obligations is not admirable. It's stupid.

 

I don't make $12 million/yr., but I do pretty well. Maybe it is my background as any attorney, but this is stupid, because he is giving it back to a profit driven organization, not a charity. If Dempster had discoverd a new pitch and won 20 games last year and had a career year winning the CY Young, the Red Sox would not have given him a penny more than the $13.25 million in 2014 owed him under his contract. There would be nothing dishonorable or classless about that. We would be complimenting the FO on making a good deal for having an undervalued guy on the roster. So, why should he let the Sox off the hook when they would not reciprocate? As for not needing the money, people tend to live up to their means. He is 36 years old and probably has another 30 -40 years left. He may need that money somewhere down the road. All of these guys are looking for cash flow after they are out of the game for a few years. His name is not one that will generate a lot of cash flow.

 

None of these things matter. What matters is what is best for the team. Removing himself from the equation, for whatever reason(s), is what he felt is best for him and the team. I applaud him for that.

[BSN07]

a700 in normal business sense it's dumb to walk away from 13m. But we all know professional sports is a different animal. It's a classy move to step away. I'd have way more of an issue if he showed up and half ass'd it all season to collect a check.