Again, why do people keep acting as though 1 more year of for 12.5 M would be such an awful thing? Assuming we have any chance of contending, it would be great to come back with something similar to our current rotation and a big bat or two in the mix. Sure, I'd rather get a shiny new prospect or two, but I'd much prefer Dempster for a year than whatever junk the Dodgers want to give us. The 2013 free agent pitching class once seemed plentiful, but in the end, I wouldnt be surprised if it was highlighted by Marcum, McCarthy, and Peavy, all of whom have notable injury histories. You kind of made your own point there, didn't you? We are NOT contending next year. There's not nearly enough talent available thru FA and our system isn't good enough yet to produce multiple superstars coming our way via trade. therefore, even an arm like Gould(who's a kick in the nuts compared to Delgado, but still) means more to us than someone like Dempster putting up a solidish season next year for us at the major league level, when all it's doing is costing us IFA money and draft positioning.