UPDATE: Rosenthal says it’s a two-year, $26.5 million deal, so by turning down the previous two-year offer Dempster gets a little extra cash and the Red Sox still manage to avoid a three-year commitment.
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Yesterday the Red Sox and Ryan Dempster were said to be in serious negotiations and now Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the two sides are “close” to an agreement.
No word yet on the money or years involved, but previous reports had Dempster turning down a two-year, $25 million offer from Boston.
If the Red Sox agree to give him a three-year deal it’s a big risk, as Dempster is 35 years old and got knocked around in his first taste of the American League following a midseason trade to the Rangers. For the most part, though, he’s been a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter, posting a 3.74 ERA and 911 strikeouts in 997 innings during the past three seasons, including a 3.38 ERA in 173 total innings this year.