Dempster will not pitch in 2014

Well as time goes on, it should become clearer who should be picked.  Unless you're a pessimist and believe that none of our prospects will progress and be ready for the majors at any point.

This year we're going to be choosing from legitimate prospects at AAA, not Aceves and Wright.  The sheer numbers makes it way more likely that at least one will be able to contribute.  Nothing is ever certain.

Not to mention if they had any idea this was a possibility, and it would be shocking if they didn't know at all, then even attempting to trade Dempster would have a horribly unprofessional move.

We're generally on the same page jmei, but I don't think it is a fallacy at all to say that - when the need did arise, the best of the young pitchers would have been a better spot-starter than Dempster. While there is uncertainty in each of the young guys, there is a strong likelihood that one or more of them do perform at a high level and show themselves to be a better option. It isn't like Dempster would have been a sure thing. He is 37, battling injuries, and was being asked to switch back-and-forth between starting and relieving. While he's done both before, he hasn't been asked to do both for significant stretches in the same season.

Well, all of the fill-in starters who threw innings last year for the major league team were presumably the best guy available at the time, and despite that, a lot of them ended up pooping the bed. Webster was coming off a YTD line of a 2.45 ERA in 22 IP with a 30:6 K/BB in Pawtucket right before his 8 ER in 1.2 IP second start in Boston on May 8th, for instance. If you've conceded that each of the young pitchers has a fair level of uncertainty, the fact that one of them pitched well in AAA right before their callup doesn't mean their level of uncertainty has decreased much. If you think Ryan Dempster is a better pitcher than any of the young options as of now (as I do), a handful of good starts at Pawtucket doesn't move the needle much in terms of my opinion of their true talent (unless, of course, there are clear scouting improvements (e.g., RDLR regains his pre-TJ velocity or Webster's command noticeably improves)).

I don't think you have to worry about it as long as I'm around.

The SP depth is significantly deeper than it was last year (and probably has more upside), but the jury is still out on whether it is significantly better. The top options are still Workman and Webster, and thought they have the benefit of an extra years' worth of development (which should not be taken lightly), they both still have major questions (Webster's command and Workman's secondary stuff). Barnes and Ranaudo need more development still, De La Rosa is a ghost of his former self, and Hinojosa is a total Wild Card.

ADD: I think what it really comes down to, for me, was that the many folks who greeted this news with joy implied a sort of "good riddance" attitude that I thought was totally misplaced. Dempster is not a great pitcher, but he's been a pretty good one who is far from just dead weight.

I respect Dempster's decision to give up his salary and spend time with his family. It certainly is rare this day and age for an athlete to walk away from a guaranteed paycheck. It is a nice contrast to the mess with the Miami Dolphins which broke at the start of the weekend.

I understand both sides of the argument that it's tough to throw an unproven kid over a veteran who's below average, but based on what Dempster is saying and the position the Sox are in - rosterwise his absence isn't the worst thing.

I'm sorry for him that he won't be there with the Sox. Like I said I think he's a standup guy who could have, had health provided, been useful for the Sox. And the more important thing is that he's with his daughter and I wish them well. He'll always be one of 25 and remembered fondly.

From a roster standpoint if the Sox only had one viable option to replace Dempster as depth I'd be concerned, but I think early on the Sox have Workman and Webster as depth options and as the season goes on you're looking at possibly Renaudo, Barnes, or even Owens. There's a good possibility that at least one of that group can provide what Dempster provides.

Another possible beneficiary of this move for the bullpen could be an opening provided for a healthier (another year removed from surgery) in-shape Rubby De La Rosa, who if he has a good spring, could now possibly have a shot at a major league job if not Workman.

The Sox have a lot of viable options. If they didn't have that, I'd be concerned. Dempster was useful depth last season.

And of course now the Sox have $13 million to play with. THey could sign Drew to a one year plus player option deal to lower the average value and still have money left over. They could sit on it and see where the need arises as the season goes on. The Sox are in the driver's seat here.

Again, I hope I see Dempster at the ring ceremony and I hope he gets a huge ovation.

It is also worth noting that there will likely be two spots open in the rotation after this year and the Red Sox are on record as saying they would like at least one of those spots filled internally. While I understand the hesitation with relying on unproven talent, I don't think the Sox are excessively "relying" on them in this situation. Rather, they are positioning them to have the opportunity to prove themselves, which is necessary if we are going to fulfill the long term goal.

I'm actually not sure that it is possible to integrate young starters without relying on them to some extent.

That really is a classy, admirable move by Dempster. We've all seen guys go out there and hang on, collect the checks, and soak up a 40-man slot ... really a cool thing that Dempster did this. Whether it's a positive or not compared to a healthy Dempster is one thing, but it's clear that he did the right thing for the team and by extension the right thing for us fans who want to watch the team win.

Please. He didn't sell his soul to the devil. Players have the right to retire whenever they want.