Cubs, Dodgers complete blockbuster trade |
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, which the Chicago Cubs have struggled with the past few seasons. With the Los Angeles Dodgers being the most aggressive team in free agency and adding arguably the top two free agents along with Tyler Glasnow, they appear to be the best team in the National League; yet again, it will be up to them to finish the job.
When it comes to the Cubs, they overachieved in 2023 and have now brought in what many feel is the best manager in baseball, Craig Counsell, to get them to the next level. For that to happen, the Cubs must assemble a competitive roster. After failing to add anyone for most of the offseason, Shota Imanaga has officially signed his contract with the Cubs. That is just the beginning, as reports surfaced that the Cubs have made significant offers to four other players to put together the most competitive roster. Now, it looks like the Cubs are hitting the trade market. If you can't be the best right now, why not try and pull from the best? According to Jon Heyman, not only have the Cubs and Dodgers discussed a deal, but an agreement has been reached as right-hander Yency Almonte is on his way to Chicago. Almonte and the Dodgers agreed on a one-year, 1.9 million dollar deal back in November, so at the very least, he is locked up through this season. The 29-year-old right-hander has been a part of the Dodgers system for a while but has yet to have the best luck thus far. Take 2023, for example, where he appeared in a career-high 49 games. His 3-2 record was alright, but the 5.06 ERA could have been better as he struggled to limit the hard contact. He also walked 24 and struck out 49 in 48 innings, so command was often an issue. Almonte has appeared in 196 games, posting a 7-6 record with an ERA north of 4.5. That wouldn't seem like a guy the Cubs would want, so why make this deal in the first place? With the addition of Teoscar Hernandez, the Dodgers needed to open up a roster spot to get him on their roster, so trading away Almonte made sense.
Sure, there is plenty of potential in his arm, but after struggling so much last season and not having consistent success at the MLB level, cutting ties with him was an easy choice for the Dodgers. When it comes to the Cubs, you can never have too much pitching, especially relief pitching. That was an issue for this team down the stretch last season, and the Cubs are hoping they don't have to go through that same situation again.
When you talk about imposing and intimidating figures on the mound, Almonte is undoubtedly one of those guys, standing at 6-5 and checking in at 241 pounds. From a stuff side, Almonte has the tools to be a crucial late-inning arm as he relies heavily on a fastball-slider two-pitch mix. With a mid to upper-90s heater, he brings with him the high velocity you look for, while his 83 MPH slider acts as a true wipeout pitch when it is on.
That slider alone is worth noting as it is very similar to the Hayden Wesneski slider and is a candidate to enter the Cubs pitch lab to see what they can do with it. Whether or not Almonte will have a significant role on this team remains to be seen, but we do know that Counsell will at least trust him early on to see what he can do.
This is purely a reclamation project for the Cubs, which they have been known for. Before his struggles last season, Almonte had a great run in 2022, posting a 1.02 ERA (35.1 innings) 2022 with the Dodgers. Those are the results the Cubs hope he can bring to the table, which would be huge for the Cubs and their pen.
Excited for his new opportunity in Chicago and ready to get to work! 🤞🏾🐻 @Cubs
— Yency Almonte (@showtimealmonte) January 11, 2024
Almonte isn't the only Dodger coming to the Cubs, as former first-round pick Michael Busch is also heading to the Cubs. This could be the key to this whole deal panning out, as Busch was the 2019 first-round pick of the Dodgers and has significant experience at 3B. Granted, most of that experience has come in the minors, but Busch has been tearing it up in the minors for the past four seasons.
During that time, he has posted a .283/.390/.529 line. That includes a robust .293/.385/.544 showing in just under 1000 plate appearances at Triple-A. Busch has connected on 48 home runs and 58 doubles with an excellent 11.8% walk rate at the top minor league level. His 22.5% strikeout rate over that stretch is closer to the league average, but Busch has shown a strong combination of power and plate discipline. He also appeared in 27 MLB games last season. For a team that could use left-handed hitting, Busch gives them that option while also playing third base.
As expected, the Dodgers' return was significant, and it especially hurts to see Jackson Ferris as part of that deal. A second-round pick back in 2022, the left-handed Ferris had risen into the top 10 in the Cubs system and was looking to move up even more this season after going 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA in his first professional season.
Zyhir Hope is also heading to Los Angeles, as he was the Cubs 11th round pick last summer. Hope only played in 11 games with the ACL Cubs last summer, but in 43 plate appearances, he hit .286 with three homers and nine RBIs.
