Less than 12 months ago, along with most Cubs fans, I could think of two or three dozen things I was more excited to see than Ryan Dempster's return to the starting rotation in 2008. After a season in which he went 17-6, had a career best 2.96 ERA, earned a trip to the All-Star Game, merited the Game One start in the NLDS, and finished 6th in Cy Young balloting, Dempster not only had the last laugh, but also earned the contract of a lifetime as he entered free agency.
Here, by way of baseball-reference.com and Cot's Baseball Contracts, is Dempster's Major League salary history, commencing with his debut as a 22-year-old Florida Marlin and telescoping forward to 2012, the final year of the 4-year/$52MM contract he signed earlier this week with the Cubs.
| Year | Team | Salary |
| 1999 | Marlins | $202,000 |
| 2000 | Marlins | 268,000 |
| 2001 | Marlins | 400,000 |
| 2002 | Marlins | 2,475,000 |
| 2003 | Reds | 3,250,000 |
| 2004 | Cubs | 300,000 |
| 2005 | Cubs | 2,000,000 |
| 2006 | Cubs | 4,333,333 |
| 2007 | Cubs | 5,333,333 |
| 2008 | Cubs | 7,333,333 |
| 2009 | Cubs | 8,000,000 |
| 2010 | Cubs | 12,500,000 |
| 2011 | Cubs | 13,500,000 |
| 2012 | Cubs | 14,000,000* |
Labels: Ryan Dempster
