Cubs acquire power-hitting third baseman Busch, reliever Almonte from Dodgers

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs acquired power-hitting third baseman Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor league prospects on Thursday.

The Dodgers received pitcher Jackson Ferris and center fielder Zyhir Hope.

The 26-year-old Busch was the Pacific Coast League player of the year last season with Triple-A Oklahoma City and could be the Cubs’ opening day third baseman.

The left-handed Busch hit 27 homers with 90 RBIs while batting .323 with a .431 on-base percentage for Oklahoma City. He also made his major league debut in late April and was 12 for 72 with two homers and seven RBIs in 27 games over three stints. In 2022, he combined to hit .274 with 32 homers and 108 RBIs at Double-A and Triple-A.

The 29-year-old Almonte was 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA in 49 relief appearances for Los Angeles last season. The right-hander is 7-6 with a 4.51 ERA over 196 outings with the Colorado Rockies (2018-21) and Dodgers (2022-23).

Ferris, who turns 20 on Monday, was a second-round pick by Chicago in the 2022 amateur draft. Hope, who turns 19 on Jan. 19, was an 11th-round pick by the Cubs in 2023.

Chicago designated catcher Brian Serven for assignment.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

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