LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired minor league pitcher Jackson Ferris and minor league outfielder Zyhir Hope from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte and infielder Michael Busch.
Ferris, 19, made 18 appearances for Myrtle Beach last season, posting a 2-3 record with a 3.38 ERA. He struck out 77 batters in 56.0 innings while allowing 35 hits. During his junior year at IMG Academy (FL), he went a perfect 8-0 with a 0.55 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. The left-hander pitched for Team USA in the summer of 2021 before being drafted by the Cubs in the second round (47th overall) out of IMG Academy.
Hope, 18, appeared in 11 games for the AZL Cubs last season. He slashed .286/.419/.543 with three homers and nine RBI in those contests. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2023 First Year Player Draft out of Colonial Forge High School (VA). In his final high school season, the left-handed hitting Hope, hit .538 with nine homers and 38 RBI while stealing 29 bases.
Almonte, 29, made 49 appearances for the Dodgers last season, tossing 48.0 innings and allowing 27 earned runs. He struck out 49 batters while posting a 5.09 ERA before landing on the injured list with a right knee sprain on August 12. In 2022, he posted a 1.02 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 35.1 innings in his first season with the Dodgers. He has pitched parts of six seasons in the Major Leagues with Colorado (2018-2021) and Los Angeles (2022-2023) with a 7-6 combined record and a 4.51 ERA in 196 games. He was originally signed as a minor league free agent by the Dodgers on March 16, 2022.
Busch, 26, played in 27 games for the Dodgers last season, mashing two homers and driving in seven runners. He was named Triple-A Player of the Year after finishing the campaign with a .323 batting average, 27 homers and 90 RBI for the Oklahoma City Dodgers. In four minor league seasons, the left-handed hitting Busch, slashed .283/.390/.529 with 79 homers and 267 RBI. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 First Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina.
