By Fitzgerald Cecilio

The Texas Rangers have won the race for Ryan Dempster, acquiring the right-hander from the Chicago Cubs minutes before the trade deadline in exchange for two prospects.

Texas will send third baseman Christian Villanueva and right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks, both from high-Class A Myrtle Beach, to the Cubs for Dempster.

The trade came as a surprise as Dempster was reported to be headed to the Atlanta Braves last week in exchange for highly regarded rookie right-hander Randall Delgado.

Dempster, however, exercised his 10-and-5 right and rejected the move, giving Cubs president for baseball operations Theo Epstein his preferred list of teams, among them the Rangers.

He is 5-5 with a 2.25 ERA in 16 starts for the Cubs this season. He is 2-2 with a 2.74 ERA in four starts since returning and had a 33 scoreless-inning streak. He was on the disabled list from June 18 to July 8 with tightness in the lat muscle in his right rib cage.

With the trade, Dempster returned to the team that originally drafted him in the third round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft. The Rangers traded him in 1996 to the Marlins for pitcher John Burkett.

Dempster will provide pitching depth to the Rangers, who have Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis as the only healthy starters after Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Roy Oswalt came down with various injuries.

The Rangers lead the Oakland Athletics by 3.5 games in the American League West and full four games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels.

Dempster will likely be a pure rental pitcher for the Rangers as he is currently in the last year of a four-year deal, which gives him a $14 million income this season.

The right-hander will be reunited with catcher Geovany Soto, who was dealt earlier to the Rangers for right-handed pitching prospect Jake Brigham.

Dempster signed with the Cubs in January 2004 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2004. He took over the Cubs' closing job for three years starting in 2005. He is one of 17 pitchers with at least 100 wins and 85 saves.

 

Cubs Trade Pitcher Ryan Dempster to Rangers