Cody Snavely
While the Dodgers and their ten arbitration-eligible players battle it out for their salary for the upcoming season, the Dodgers remain busy trading away right-handed reliever Yency Almonte and Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers will receive left-handed starter Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
What the Dodgers are giving up
Yency Almonte signed a minor league deal during the 2022 season and had a career year with the Dodgers upon his call-up. Almonte posted a 5.30 ERA over 124 relief innings with the Rockies from 2018 to 21. The Dodgers improved all of those numbers across the board, as his 1.02 ERA in 35 innings made him a dependable arm in the backend of the bullpen.
2023, however, was a different story as Almonte battled inconsistencies in the bullpen and injuries that sidelined him for most of the year. During the 2023 season, Almonte’s ERA ballooned to 5.06, and his walk rate doubled from the previous year. However, After a terrible start to the year — allowing 18 runs in his first 18 innings — Almonte was on the upswing at the time of his injury. From May 20 to August 11, the right-hander had a 2.70 ERA and 3.32 FIP in 30 innings, with 36 strikeouts (a 29.5-percent rate) and 14 walks over his final 30 appearances.
Michael Busch is the Dodgers’ number two-ranked prospect entering 2024. The 26-year-old prospect has had a few brief stints with the Dodgers during 2023 but never got the opportunity to start full-time. Busch, who was blocked at 1B by Freddie Freeman, 3B by Max Muncy, and 2B by Mookie Betts, had no clear spot on the 26-man roster. Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes did allude that Busch and Miguel Vargas would perhaps see time in leftfield in 2024, but they have now decided to move Busch to clear up another spot on the 40-man. During the 2023 Minor League season, Busch had a slash line of .323/.431/.618 and an OPS of 1.049 in 98 games.
What are the Dodgers getting in return?
The Dodgers are hitting two birds with one stone as they clear two 40-man roster spots and allow Busch, who had no clear spot on the roster, to flourish with the Cubs. The Dodgers will receive left-handed starter Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
Jackson Ferris, 19, was a second-round pick in 2022. In his first year as a pro, he posted a 3.38 ERA with a 32.5% strikeout rate. Ferris is the Cub’s #8 overall prospect, according to MLB.com. Zyhir Hope, 18, was an 11th-round pick of the Cubs in the 2023 draft and only played in eleven pro games last year. In a small sample size, Hope hit three home runs but has been profiled as a high exit velocity bat.
Both names included in the deal are not eligible yet to be placed on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, which now sits at 38. However, Teoscar Hernández‘s 1-year deal is expected to be made official and, once done, would put the 40-man roster at 39. The Dodgers have been linked to various arms in the bullpen and starting rotation, for which that final spot could be.
Conclusion
The Dodgers had to clear at least one spot on their 40-man roster to make the Teoscar Hernández signing official. However, including Michael Busch gave the idea that LA was making yet another blockbuster trade. While the two players sent back to LA are young, controllable prospects, they may have waited too long to sell Busch away as they traded him at his possible lowest value with the team. The Dodgers’ current 40-man sits at 39 players, meaning at least one more move is in the works.
