Among the many moves the Los Angeles Dodgers made this past offseason was trading former top prospect Michael Busch and Yency Almonte to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope.
The deal gave Busch an opportunity to be an everyday player, which wasn’t possible with the current construction of the Dodgers lineup. Busch, who can play across the infield, was blocked by All-Stars at several positions, as well as Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes knew Busch had the talent to stick at the Major League level, but admitted he couldn’t get consistent at-bats in L.A., via Jesse Rogers of ESPN:
“It just became harder and harder with the way we were constructed to get him playing time,” Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said recently. “We all felt Michael was a big leaguer and ready to take the next step towards facing MLB pitching every day. And we just didn’t have the opportunity to do that.”
The trade ended up paying dividends for Busch, who jumped out to an excellent start this season and now appears to be the Cubs’ long-term solution at first base.
The 26-year-old has cooled off a bit this month, but he is still hitting .245/.333/.454 with eight doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 23 RBI in 52 games.
For the Dodgers side, the trade will ultimately depend on how the two prospects pan out, but both have intriguing upside and the potential to quickly rise through their organizational rankings.
Michael Busch hit home run against Dodgers
Busch faced his former team last month and notably hit his first home run of the season. He did not make much of the blast and was simply relieved to finally get on the board.
Cody Bellinger, who played his first six seasons with the Dodgers, went on to say that Busch has benefited from the change of scenery.
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