Cubs acquire Busch, Almonte in trade with Dodgers
Did the Cubs acquire their starting third baseman Thursday?
Keep an eye on Michael Busch when spring training begins in just over a month.
Busch, ranked No. 65 on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list, is joining the Cubs in a trade with the Dodgers that sent pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope to Los Angeles.
The Cubs are also getting veteran relief pitcher Yency Almonte in the deal.
Busch, who is also an option at first base and designated hitter, batted .323/.431/.618 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI in 98 games with Class AAA Oklahoma City last season.
In 27 games with the Dodgers, the 26-year-old Busch slashed .167/.247/.292 with 2 homers and 7 RBI.
Almonte appeared in 49 games with Los Angeles last year and was 3-2 with 5.06 ERA.
Ferris was one of the Cubs' better pitching prospects. In 18 starts with low Class A Myrtle Beach last season, the 19-year-old lefty was 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA.
The 18-year-old Hope played in 11 games with the Arizona Complex League Cubs in 2023 and hit .286 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
Done deal:
The Cubs officially announced the signing of starting pitcher Shota Imanaga on Thursday.
The left-hander reportedly agreed to a four-year, $53 million contract and the deal includes a fifth year option that could increase the overall value to $80 million.
Imanaga, who is expected to be introduced Friday before the start of Cubs Convention, pitched for the Yokohama BayStars in his native Japan last season and was 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 22 starts.
Over eight years with Yokohama, the 30-year-old Imanaga was 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA.
Signing day:
The Cubs agreed to one-year contracts with all six of their arbitration eligible players Thursday.
No. 1 starter Justin Steele signed a $4 million deal and Adbert Alzolay ($2.1 million), Mike Tauchman ($1.95 million), Nick Madrigal ($1.8 million), Mark Leiter Jr. ($1.5 million) and Julian Merryweather ($1.2 million) are also in the fold.