Previously, on Ryan Dempster screws with people who pay too much attention to trade rumors: The Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves had finalized a trade for pitching prospect Randall Delgado, only for Dempster to deny it on Twitter, which is one of those things you can do when you've got 10-and-5 status. Now: The Cubs are supposedly deeply involved with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a Dempster trade.

Only the Dodgers just acquired Hanley Ramirez, and the entirety of his contract, in a separate trade deadline deal.

Here's about all we can take from this week's happenings in the Ryan Dempster derby: The St. Louis Cardinals are out of it, if they were ever in; Ryan Dempster does not appear to be especially fond of Atlanta; and he would prefer to go to the Dodgers, who would, for their part, prefer to acquire a 28-year-old former MVP candidate shortstop at bargain prices.

I can't exactly blame them for that one, though the Han-Ram appears to be an especially finicky piece of machinery.