The Chicago Cubs made a shocking trade that landed Michael Busch, the No. 44 ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Busch, 26 years old, has proven that he can hit at every step in the minors.
He had a short stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, earning 72 at-bats, where he posted a .167/.247/.292 slash line.
While his struggles at the big league level are concerning, Busch posted a 1.049 OPS in Triple-A last season with 27 home runs across 390 at-bats.
For a team that needs a left-handed power bat, he fills that exact need. If Cody Bellinger doesn't re-sign, although it seems likely, there's even more of a reason why Busch will be a starter for the Cubs in 2024.
According to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, the consensus is that Busch will get an opportunity to win the first base job in Spring Training.
Chicago's in one of those positions where they aren't exactly a contender, but they can make noise and possibly have a deep postseason run. As was seen with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, there can be a mixture of young talent and veterans on an above-average team that gets hot at the right time.
Perhaps that's what the Cubs can be this season.
Busch is excited about the chance to earn a spot at the big league level. He had the following to say, according to The Athletic:
“That’s all a player can ask for.”
Busch now has his chance and it's up to him to show the coaching staff that he deserves a spot in the lineup as a full-time player.
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