Ryan Dempster traded to Rangers

The Chicago Cubs have traded pitcher Ryan Dempster to the Texas Rangers, as first reported in a tweet from ESPNs Buster Olney two minutes before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted moments later that the Cubs will receive two Class A players. One will be a pitcher and the other a position player. According to Evan Grant, a sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News, that pitcher will be Kyle Hendricks and the other player going to Chicago is third baseman Christian Villanueva.

Dempster’s first choice was reportedly the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Yankees were said to be in the mix as the time got closer to the 4 p.m. deadline. According to Rosenthal, the Rangers were “more comfortable” with Dempster than the Cubs’ Matt Garza for medical reasons.

Rangers land Ryan Dempster—
Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 31, 2012

Correction: One of players going to #Cubs is a pitcher, one a position player. Both at Class A.—
Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2012

#Rangers were more comfortable with Dempster medically than Garza, according to a source.—
Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2012