MLB Rumors: Dodgers Trade Michael Busch, Yency Almonte to Cubs for 2 Prospects

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As the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to clear spots on their 40-man roster, they made a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Per Juan Toribio of MLB.com, the Dodgers are sending utilityman Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte to the Cubs. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Dodgers will receive left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal noted the deal is pending a medical review and will allow the Dodgers to add young players to their system who don’t need to be protected on the 40-man roster right now.

The Dodgers needed to create at least one roster spot after agreeing to a one-year, $23.5 million deal with Teoscar Hernández earlier this week.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has gotten good at making quick deals to navigate the difficulties of having a loaded roster and too few spots on the 40-man to fit everyone.

Victor Gonzalez and Jorbit Vivas were traded to the New York Yankees for Trey Sweeney Jr. because the Dodgers needed to open a roster spot for Shohei Ohtani.

This trade is far more interesting than the previous deal. Busch was a first-round pick by the Dodgers in 2019 and made his MLB debut last season. He was a top-100 prospect each of the past two years.

Almonte has spent time with the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies in his MLB career. The 29-year-old is coming off a rough 2023 with a 5.06 ERA in 49 appearances, but he was terrific two years ago with a 1.02 ERA in 35.1 innings.

Ferris is a high-upside bet by the Dodgers. The 19-year-old left-hander was a second-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2022. He was solid in his first full professional season with a 3.38 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 56 innings in A ball.

MLB.com ranked Ferris as the eighth-best prospect in Chicago’s system, comparing his size and frame to Blake Snell at the same age “but with superior stuff and mechanics.”

Hope was an 11th-round pick in 2023 and played 11 games in rookie ball. He hit .286/.419/.543 in a small sample size of 35 at-bats.

Both sides come out of this trade very happy. The Dodgers may have found another elite pitching prospects, albeit one who is probably at least two years away from the big leagues.

The Cubs added a cheap reliever to their bullpen. They can also offer consistent playing time to Busch, who has experience at three infield positions and left field.