What Are the Dodgers Getting Back in the Michael Busch, Yency Almonte Trade?
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a four-player trade on Thursday morning, sending right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte and top prospect Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs. Juan Toribio of MLB.com was first on the trade.
In return, the Dodgers received two young prospects — left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
Ferris is the headliner of the deal on the Cubs’ end, as he’s the team’s No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
Who is Jackson Ferris?
Ferris, 19, was drafted in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Cubs out of IMG Academy.
He played in Single-A all of 2023, sporting a 3.38 ERA in 18 starts and 56 innings.
Ferris is great at punching batters out — accruing 77 strikeouts — but did struggle with the walks, walking 33 batters last season. He’s keen at keeping the ball in the park, though, only allowing one home run.
Ferris is 6-foot-4, 196 pounds, and has four pitches — a fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. His fastball reaches 96 mph.
Who is Zyhir Hope?
Hope, 18, was an 11th-round pick by the Cubs in the 2023 draft. He played exclusively in Rookie Ball this season, appearing in 11 games and slashing .286/.419/.543 with three home runs and nine runs batted in.
Hope also has pitching experience, so it will be interesting to see how the Dodgers utilize him. Here’s his pitching breakdown:
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Is this a joke or for real? Our top prospect and a veteran reliever for two young, unspectacular teenagers?
Agree. They could have done better. Can see reasons for trade. If he is highly regarded they didn’t give him many opportunities to show his stuff
clearing space on the 40 man roster for Teoscar Hernandez and another pitcher
Yeah, Friedman said as much late December. He was talking about Busch and Vargas, saying that it may be better for them to be traded so that can play, but there wasn’t much room for them on this roster. If I’m a player, yes I’d want to contribute on THIS team, but if I was blocked and had little chance, send me to a club that needed me to play now.
Ferris is the best player in this deal… you just don’t have a clue
If the Dodgers are willing to give up Busch for such a light return that should tell you all you need to know about how the Dodgers view him. And I definitely trust the Dodgers more than other franchises with moves like these…they don’t just give away prospects for the fun of it.
Busch has an amazing MiLB bat but has been very underwhelming in his MLB at bats…albeit a tiny sample size. He’s already 26 and he can’t play any defense to save his life. I personally haven’t been as high on him and Vargas (I don’t see what others see in Vargas at all) as other Dodger fans have so I’m not bothered by this trade at all but I am surprised he didn’t end up being a piece in a larger trade.
Ditto!
Agree with Jay across the board. All the other MLB teams knew that the Dodgers had no room for Busch in their lineup, so that drove the price down. Also, he was running out of options.
So yeah, the Dodgers HAD to trade him and that’s why they only got a pair of teenagers in return. But I also trust in Friedman and his scouting department.
My guess is that the two teenagers might have a high potential upside and the young pitcher’s problems are fixable.