Friends And Former Teammates Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch Succeed After Trades

CHICAGO –– White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas carries the unique distinction of being a Minnesota Vikings fan from Havana, Cuba.

How?

It stems from a special bond formed with Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch. Vargas and Busch first became teammates in 2019 with the High-A Great Lakes Loons as part of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. They made their journey through the minor leagues together, sharing an infield through the 2023 season.

In the offseason, Busch, an Inver Grove Heights, Minn. native, took Vargas to his first NFL game. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-19 on Nov. 12, 2023 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and Vargas was hooked. 

“He got me into it, so I’m a Vikings fan now,” Vargas said. 

The former teammates have remained friends, and this weekend they face off against each other at Rate Field. The White Sox took Game 1, 12-5, as Vargas went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Fans may expect the Crosstown Classic to be a hated rivalry, but that’s not necessarily the case for Vargas and Busch, though they certainly still want to win.

“It’s always a good time when I see him. He’s more than my friend. I feel like he’s my brother,” Vargas said. “We spent a lot of time together in the minor leagues. … We got a good relationship. Looking forward to looking at him in the field and wishing the best for him.”

Vargas is grateful for the way Busch and other teammates helped him in the minor leagues. He signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2017, a life-changing move for the then-17-year-old Cuban.

“My English wasn’t very good then. I think [Busch] helped me a lot with my translation, my English,” Vargas said Friday, no longer requiring a translator. 

“He always tried to help me. Almost everybody on that team really helped me. After that, we built a really good relationship from that team, and I’m really glad to spend time with them.”

About two months after going to the Vikings game together, Vargas and Busch hit a fork in the road. The Dodgers traded Busch and pitcher Yency Almonte to the Cubs for two prospects: pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope. 

It was bittersweet for Vargas.

“It’s sometimes kind of sad when your friend’s leaving the team,” Vargas said. “But, you know, also he got to have the opportunity to play in the big leagues, and I was super happy for him and rooting for him.”

The trade turned out to be a spark for Busch’s major league career. He played 27 games for the Dodgers in 2023, appearing at first base, second base, third base and left field. But on a loaded roster, with nine-time All-Star Freddie Freeman at first base, settling into a spot would be difficult.

After the trade, the Cubs gave Busch an immediate opportunity to be their first baseman of the future. He started on Opening Day in 2024, and finished his rookie season with 152 games played and 21 home runs. 

Busch has been even better in 2025, slugging 20 home runs in his first 97 games and posting a .902 OPS. He was one of the bigger All-Star snubs, ranking third among first basemen with 2.6 wins above replacement at the break.

Vargas always knew Busch would hit for power, but he’s seen growth in the way the Cub takes his walks and shortens up to hit singles when necessary. It provides inspiration, too.

“I looked at him like my big brother, always like I want to be as good as him,” Vargas said. “I think in the minor leagues he was pushing me every day to be better. I learned so much from him. And I think now to see him have that type of success every day in the big leagues is really good.”

Vargas’ career, coincidentally, took a similar path as Busch’s. At the 2024 trade deadline, the Dodgers sent him to the White Sox as part of a three-team trade with the Cardinals. It worked out well for Los Angeles, as acquiring Michael Kopech and Tommy Edman helped them win the World Series. 

And like Busch, the trade provided a longer runway for Vargas. He moved up and down between the minor and major leagues across parts of three seasons, never playing more than 81 games with the Dodgers. Vargas posted an OPS of at least .866 in each minor league season from 2022-24, but that didn’t translate to the big leagues, hitting just .201 in 129 major league appearances.

The White Sox have given him a chance to work through struggles –– and had more open positions –– and he’s been better for it. Vargas hit .104 in his first 42 games with the White Sox in 2024 after the trade, but this season he leads the team with 12 home runs and 41 RBI.

Busch has been proud to see Vargas’ growth at the major league level.

“Just coming up with him in the minor leagues, he’s always been one of the better hitters I’ve ever seen,” Busch said. “Just the plate discipline, the knack for just getting hits, putting the bat on the ball and all that. But I think just stepping in there and some of the confidence for him up here and just having some success and doing his thing and having that consistency and just going out there and having some good at-bats has been fun to see.”

“Definitely just caught up with him for a little bit. So I think those are the little things throughout the time that I played that I’ve tried to cherish.”