The Chicago Cubs have to be happy with how their trade last winter with the Los Angeles Dodgers panned out.
The team acquired infielder Michael Busch and pitcher Yency Almonte in exchange for Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope. In limited action, Almonte, the righty had solid production for the Cubs, tossing 15.2 innings and recording a 3.45 ERA with 20 strikeouts.
In his first opportunity at being a regular at first base, Busch excelled at the plate as well.
He played in 152 games with 567 plate appearances, recording a productive slash line of .248/.335/.440. Busch also hit 21 home runs and 28 doubles with 65 RBI as one of the more productive sluggers in the lineup.
It is a deal that the Cubs would likely complete again as they now have a locked-in, long-term answer at first base. But, this looks like a deal that could work out for both sides as the Dodgers have to be thrilled with the early returns from Hope.
An 11th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, Virginia, the 19-year-old more than held his own.
Between Rookie and A-Ball, he recorded a .290/.419/.484 slash line in 272 plate appearances, hitting nine home runs with nine stolen bases. That production has not stopped in the Arizona Fall League, as Keith Law of The Athletic highlighted in a recent piece.
“Dodgers outfielder Zyhir Hope, acquired in the trade that sent Michael Busch to the Cubs, demolished a hanging slider in the first at-bat I saw from him, pulling it out to right field at 111 mph. He’s gotten substantially stronger since high school, but still is a plus runner. Despite a reputation in high school for being unable to pick up pitch types, he had no issues in this one game with breaking stuff or good velocity,” the MLB expert wrote.
His game is certainly advanced for a teenager. Currently the No. 11 prospect in Los Angeles’ pipeline, he has a Major League ETA of 2027, a year after Ferris is expected to debut.
There may not be a franchise that develops prospects as well as the Dodgers, and the Cubs look to have surrendered solid players to bring back two good ones.
But, when taking a look at the view in Chicago, this was a no-brainer deal to make. Overflowing with up-and-coming talent, the Cubs have seven players in the top 100 of the MLB.com pipeline. Hope may never have received a chance to break through.
He could certainly turn into a great player for the Dodgers. Alas, flipping him and Ferris for two players who contributed at the Major League level in 2024 is something the organization would do 10 out of 10 times.
