CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired infielder Michael Busch and right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris and minor league outfielder Zyhir Hope. To make room on the 40-man roster, catcher Brian Serven has been designated for assignment.
Busch, 26, was named the 2023 Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player and a Baseball America Triple-A All-Star after hitting .323 (126-for-390) with 26 doubles, four triples, 27 home runs and 90 RBI in 98 games for Oklahoma City last season. He posted a .431 on-base percentage, a .618 slugging mark and a 1.049 OPS and earned the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month award for July while also being named a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star for the third-straight season.
The left-handed hitting Busch, who ranks No. 44 in MLB.com’s top-100 prospect list, made his major league debut with the Dodgers last season, appearing in 27 games spanning three stints after making his debut in late April. He batted .167 (12-for-72) with seven RBI and played 13 games at third base, four games at first base and one game apiece at second base and left field while also serving as the club’s designated hitter in eight contests.
Selected by the Dodgers in the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Busch has batted .283 (389-for-1,375) with 91 doubles, five triples, 79 home runs and 267 RBI in 357 minor league games with a .390 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage and a .919 OPS. He participated in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in 2021.
Almonte, 29, owns a 7-6 record with 31 holds, two saves and a 4.51 ERA (104 ER/207.1 IP) in 196 games, all in relief, between the Colorado Rockies (2018-21) and Dodgers (2022-23). He has struck out 195 batters and walked 87 while pitching to a 1.32 WHIP.
The six-foot five-inch Almonte last season appeared in a career-high 49 games for the Dodgers, picking up 10 holds with a 5.06 ERA (27 ER/48.0 IP). In 2022 with Los Angeles, he posted a 1.02 ERA (4 ER/35.1 IP) in 33 relief appearances with 10 walks, 33 strikeouts and a 0.79 WHIP while holding left-handed hitters to a .071 average (3-for-42).
A Miami, Fla., native, Almonte was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 17th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. He was traded to the White Sox in February of 2015 to complete an earlier deal that sent infielder Gordon Beckham to the Angels. Almonte was traded to Colorado in November of that year for Tommy Kahnle before he signed as a free agent with the Dodgers before the 2022 season.
Ferris, who turns 20 on January 15, was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He made his pro debut with Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2023, going 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA (21 ER/56.0 IP) in 18 starts.
Hope, who turns 19 January 19, was selected by Chicago in the 11th round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, Va. He batted .286 (10-for-35) with three home runs and nine RBI in 11 games for the Arizona Complex League Cubs last season.
Serven, 28, was claimed off waivers from Colorado on January 5.
