He's also been as good as Meche has ever been. And he's much less expensive. Risk is more than the player's ability, but his cost. Ryan Dempster is Meche in 2 years. Live arm, has shown glimpses, but never put it together. The biggest difference is that Dempster put together 3 straight years of 200+ innings, while Meche never did, and Ryan is far less expensive. When was the last time Dempster was as good as Meche has ever been? 2001? 2000? He last pitched 200 innings in 2002, and he was bad. I understand the spirit of what you are saying, but saying Ryan is no bigger a gamble in the rotation than Meche is a real stretch. The last time either of them was any good was in 2000, with the difference in their seasons being Meche had 15 starts and Dempster had 33. How is it a stretch? Meche can't stay healthy/pitch a full season, and he hasn't been an effective pitcher in several years. Dempster's risks are that he's got health/durability issues, and hasn't been an effective starter in years. The difference is Dempster is far less expensive. The cost alone makes Dempster less of a risk. He might be less likely to give you 180 quality innings (neither is going to do it), but at least he'll only cost you $5m while trying.