The team said Dempster did not play because of “personal reasons,” but the Dallas Morning News is reporting the 35-year old did not have his passport, prohibiting him to get through customs.

Dempster has spent the last 8-years with the Chicago Cubs pitching against the National League and has not played in Canada since 2004. The two-time All-Star is a free agent this summer and told Cubs GM Theo Epstein he wanted to be traded to a contender. Dempster exercised his no-trade clause and vetoed a trade to the Atlanta Braves allowing the Rangers to steal him at the trade deadline. Despite Dempster’s rocky summer, he is not blaming Canada.