Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster has been traded to the Atlanta Braves, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Cubs ace does have a no-trade clause in his contract but is expected to approve the deal. As of now, no one seems to know exactly who the Cubs will be getting in return. Pitching prospect Randall Delgado? Perhaps.

Dempster has been pitching very well of late after experiencing somewhat of an ugly May, rendering him utterly useless as a member of the Chicago Cubs, one of the two saggy boobs residing in the NL Central.

Over his last 39 innings pitched, he has given up just four runs, and in four starts against teams in the NL East, he sports an ERA of 0.70 ERA to go along with 29 strikeouts in 25 innings. Braves fans should probably caution themselves from getting instantly aroused though, as these things tend to have a way of evening out. You know, small sample size and all.

Dempster is in the final year of his contract.

[via CBS Sports, Mark Bowman]

Update: According to @RyanDempsterFDN, there was no trade. For what it is worth, that is an unverified account. The strange thing about this trade – or non-trade – is that the original source appears to be CBS Sports and not some fake Twitter. We will keep you updated.

Update 2: ESPN has a source telling Keith Law the trade is real. USA Today cites a source in the Braves’ front office.

Update 3: @RyanDempsterFDN is Dempster’s charity’s Twitter. So as of right now, this trade did not happen. Unless it did.

Previously: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis & Ryan Dempster Ate Deep Dish Pizza During the First Pitch
Previously: Ryan Dempster Announces Lineup as Harry Caray