CHICAGO — After being dormant, moves are picking up for the Cubs as the club is reportedly trading for one of the best prospects in baseball.
Infield prospect Michael Busch and right-handed reliever Yency Almonte are headed to the North Side from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The club gave up 2022 second-round pick pitcher Jackson Ferris, 19, and outfielder Zyhir Hope, 18.
Busch, 26, has been a highly-rated prospect for the last few years, but never really got an opportunity in Los Angeles. The former North Carolina Tar Heel recently turned 26 in November and was a 2019 first-round draft pick.
That didn't stop him from absolutely mashing in Triple-A Oklahoma. Busch hit 27 homers with an absurd .323/.431./1.049. As a result, Busch was named the 2023 MVP of the Pacific Coast League (Triple-A league).
He is the 44th best prospect in baseball and was the second-best prospect in the Dodgers system, according to MLB.com's postseason ranking.
Busch could have a solid chance to become the Cubs' starting third baseman. In the minors, he started out playing more second base but last year played the majority of his games at third.
He made his debut last year by hitting .167 in limited plate appearances.
As far as Almonte, the 29-year-old has been inconsistent year-over-year. He struggled last year with a 5.63 ERA and an inflated walk rate. However in 2022, he was untouchable for Los Angeles — holding hitters to a .150 average against with a 1.02 ERA.
Almonte relies on a highly-effective sweeper, something he throws 50 percent of the time with a .156 average against, according to MLB's Savant.
He gives new manager Craig Counsell another weapon in a bullpen that under achieved last season.
The club has steadily been building an impressive pipeline of homegrown pitching, which makes losing Ferris hurt a little less. Despite that, the lean lefty was the Cubs' eighth best prospect, according to MLB.com.
Hope was an 11th round pick of the Cubs in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The trade was announced on the same day the club finalized a 4-year, $53 million deal with left-handed Japanese pitcher Shōta Imanaga.