Dodgers, Cubs team up for notable trade

Two big fish in the National League are linking up for an exchange of goods and services.

Juan Toribio of MLB.com reported Thursday that the Los Angeles Dodgers are trading reliever Yency Almonte and infielder Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs. In return, the Cubs will send the Dodgers two teenage prospects — lefty pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zhyir Hope.

Almonte, 29, is the biggest name here. Over the last two seasons with the Dodgers, the righty Almonte had pitched mostly in middle relief, posting a combined 3.35 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 82 appearances. Busch, 26, is also an interesting piece but one who hit just .167 over 27 games as a rookie last MLB season.

After their unprecedented spending spree (which has continued well into the new year), the Dodgers now have several guys on the roster that they won’t be able to give regular playing time to. They are solving that problem in part by trading two older players to the Cubs in exchange for a couple of young minor-league stashes in Ferris, Chicago’s No. 8 prospect, and Hope, an 11th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.