The Chicago Cubs first domino fell when they signed Shōta Imanaga to a deal on Tuesday. Now that they’ve seemingly added their big chip this winter, the add-on begins. It starts with acquiring rookie infielder Michael Busch and right hand reliever Yency Almonte in exchange for a pair of prospects in Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope.
Busch, 26, was the Dodgers #2 ranked prospect and a consensus Top 100 prospect overall. The expectation is that Busch will play first base for the Cubbies, and projects to be in the Opening Day lineup as opposed to the Dodgers who have no room for the infielder. This is a huge deal for a team that accumulated only a .299 OBP from their mix of first basemen in 2023.
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Michael profiles as an above-average hitter in the Majors with some limitations defensively, but being bat-first didn’t stop him from winning MVP in the Pacific Coast League after leading Triple-A in slugging percentage (.618) and OPS (1.049) in 2023.
His postseason OPS of 1.352 across 13 at-bats helped lift the Triple-A Dodgers to a PCL championship, as well as a trip to the interleague Triple-A National Championship in Las Vegas. Slotting a slugging lefty into the lineup with 20 home run and 20 double potential fills a massive hole for Chicago, but why trade him if you’re Los Angeles — a team going all-in on a championship run?
With no space on the 40-man roster and the recent signing of Teoscar Hernandez, trading Busch and Almonte free two spots, with Hernandez filling one and the other for whatever else the Dodgers have up their sleeve.
While Busch is almost sure to help offensively, Almonte, the veteran, raises question marks in the bullpen. Almonte’s ERA+ has been as high as 398 and as low as 64 across six Major League seasons. In recent seasons his strikeout percentage sits around 20%, an average rate, with his base on balls percentage being more volatile. He finds his most success when he isn’t giving out free passes and when he is generating ground balls.
Being that Almonte is arbitration eligible next winter and won’t hit free agency until after the 2025 season, he projects to slot into a middle relief role for Chicago over the next two seasons (barring another trade). Entering his age-30 season, the Cubs look to find the Almonte that brings elite run prevention with his above-average sweeper and 94-96 MPH fastball — not the wild Almonte that struggles with command.
On the Dodgers side, they get a pair of high-ceiling lower-level prospects that add depth, but won’t impact the Major League club immediately. Jackson Ferris, ranked #5 in the Dodgers farm, is projected to graduate to MLB in 2026. Zyhir Hope isn’t part of the Dodgers’ top 30. However he is still only 18 years old and is only six months into his pro career.
Drafted in the 2nd round, the tall, slender lefty leaves a ton of pitches over the middle of the plate in High-A which will be disastrous in higher levels if the Dodgers don’t tweak his mechanics. His fastball has nice zip, and his curveball, his best secondary pitch, creates swing-and-misses. Keep an eye on this 19-year-old as he may be another Dodgers rookie of the year in the future.
Hope on the other hand, has only appeared in 11 Single-A games for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He generated 10 hits in 35 at-bats, with three of them being home runs. He also paired it with 3 stolen bases and 8 walks for a .419 OBP. The center fielder will now play for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Cubs Single-A affiliate.
For now, this deal appears to be a fit on both sides.
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