Dodgers acquire prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope from Cubs

Jackson Ferris pitches during the MLB USA Baseball All-American Game at Coors Field on Friday, July 9, 2021 in Denver. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

By Christian Romo

The Dodgers and Cubs agreed on a trade Thursday morning, with the Cubs sending Minor League left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope to the Dodgers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte and infielder Michael Busch.

The Dodgers acquired the Cubs’ current №8 prospect in Ferris in the deal and cleared two spots on the 40-man roster, which stood at 40 before the trade. The Dodger infield appears at this point to be packed with Major League veterans, potentially creating a difficult path for playing time for Busch, the power-hitting lefty and 2023 Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year.

The Cubs selected Ferris, 19, in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Florida’s IMG Academy. Ferris spent his first professional season at Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2023, putting up a 3.38 ERA and striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings over 18 starts (56 innings).

MLB Pipeline grades Ferris’ fastball at a 60 and his curveball and changeup at a 55 on the 20–80 scale. He threw a no-hitter and a perfect game in his first two outings during his junior season at IMG Academy, while also pitching for Team USA’s 18U National Team in the summer of 2021.

Hope, 18, made his professional debut last season in the Arizona Complex League after the Cubs selected him out of Virginia’s Colonial Forge High School in the 11th round of the 2023 draft. The left-handed hitting outfielder slashed .286/.419/.543/.962 over 11 games, hitting three home in 43 plate appearances.

Busch made his MLB debut on April 25, 2023, and appeared in 27 games for the Dodgers while making 10 starts at third base. The infielder spent most of his 2023 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he registered 27 home runs and 90 RBI and led OKC to a Pacific Coast League title. MLB Pipeline listed Busch as the Dodgers’ №2 prospect at the end of the 2023 season.

Almonte arrived in Los Angeles in 2022 following his first four seasons with the Colorado Rockies. He pitched to a 1.02 ERA over 35 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2022, and in 2023 he set career bests in games (49), innings pitched (48), and strikeouts per nine innings (9.2).