Cubs acquire reliever Yency Almonte, infielder Michael Busch in trade with Dodgers
The Cubs acquired reliever Yency Almonte from the Dodgers.
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The Cubs’ offseason is picking up steam. On Thursday, they made their first trade of the winter, acquiring reliever Yency Almonte and infielder Michael Busch from the Dodgers for prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope, a source confirmed.
Almonte’s addition begins to address an area the Cubs identified as a high priority this offseason: the bullpen. The 29-year-old right-hander carries a career 4.51 ERA over six seasons.
Busch, a 2019 first-round pick, comes with a high ceiling. MLB Pipeline ranked him as a Top-50 prospect last year. He debuted in April, had 72 major-league at-bats and hit .167. But in between, he made trips down to Triple-A and posted a 1.049 OPS.
Up until the first week of January, the Cubs had yet to acquire any players on major-league contracts this offseason. But the Cubs have been busy the past week. They broke the seal last Friday when they claimed catcher Brian Serven off waivers. Then on Wednesday, they made a statement, agreeing to terms with free agent left-hander Shōta Imanaga. They officially announced Imanaga’s deal Thursday.