Cubs make a trade!

[JP Hochbaum]

This is an interesting move. Cubs get Michael Busch, top 50 Dodgers prospect that is currently slotted at 3b but possible could play 1b. He is major leagues ready. Cubs give up 12th ranked prospect in Jackson Ferris.

Cubs' Michael Busch: Dealt to Cubs

Cubs' Michael Busch: Dealt to Cubs

www.cbssports.com

 

[knoxville7]

This is an interesting move. Cubs get Michael Busch, top 50 Dodgers prospect that is currently slotted at 3b but possible could play 1b. He is major leagues ready. Cubs give up 12th ranked prospect in Jackson Ferris.

Cubs' Michael Busch: Dealt to Cubs

Cubs' Michael Busch: Dealt to Cubs

www.cbssports.com

Quad A player....next!

 

[JP Hochbaum]

Might be a quad A player but I see him sitting against lefties and being given good matchups.

 

[MDB111™]

Should I be happy or sad?

 

[knoxville7]

Should I be happy or sad?

neither!

 

[knoxville7]

Might be a quad A player but I see him sitting against lefties and being given good matchups.

remember mike olt? this has that vibe all over it, former high draft pick that at one time was considered untouchable but then fell apart and then was traded to the cubs.

he will be out of the league in another year

 

[TL1961]

remember mike olt? this has that vibe all over it, former high draft pick that at one time was considered untouchable but then fell apart and then was traded to the cubs.

he will be out of the league in another year

So, he’s Matt Mervis’ equal?

 

[CSF77]

His numbers are not bad at AAA.
.323/.431/.618. 27 HR

In comparison

Mervis
.282/.399/.533 22 HR

So definitely a upgrade. We will see. This year feels a bit trying going forward but seems that Councle will be that guy that molds talent.

 

[CSF77]

So, he’s Matt Mervis’ equal?

Bit of a upgrade. Either could take off or flounder

I see it as can the Cubs get them to the next level.

 

[CSF77]

But I can see this deal being a signal that Jed is going to resign Bellinger.

Going in he had to back fill 1 rotation spot. (Done)
Target 3B (opportunity is there for Busch or Morel to take from Madgral)
Add to the pen (They need a back end arm still)
Add a 1B (Bellinger would fill that role)

I'm pretty sure that the deals made were cost effective plays to be able to take on Cody.

I'm expecting that shoe to drop soon

 

[CSF77]

Hoerner
Happ
Suzuki
Bellenger
Swanson
Morel
Busch
Gomes
PCA

i think that this might end up opening day

that let's Jed focus on a back end arm. Hader should be the #1 target.

 

[beckdawg]

Busch is a legit bat he was just limited by what the dodgers had at the MLB level. I don't think it's fair to call him a 4A player because he absolutely destroyed AAA last season and has hit well all the way through the minors. Busch's issue is he doesn't have an obvious defensive home. He's passable at a few positions but I imagine he plays 1B for the cubs. He was never going to play that for the dodgers when they have freeman. But you're talking about a guy who had a 13.2% walk rate in the minors to pair with a .246 ISO. He also can hit for average better than your typical power guy.

I actually was interested in Busch to start the offseason as a target for 1B for them. My issue is he kinda needs to be really strong given what they gave up for him. Ferris could really blossom into a great pitching prospect and Hope has a high skillset if you can refine him a bit.

Edit: one thing i will say though is that IF Busch hits like I suspect you're getting basically all of his rookie control which is pretty big. Getting that kind of bat in FA if he is what he appears to be is so costly so I can see why they want him and maybe paid more than I would have liked.

 

[beckdawg]

Also... i feel like cubs could get back some prospects/parts in return for Morel/Madrigal/Wisdom as they feel like they are pushed out a bit.

 

[Diehardfan]

Should I be happy or sad?

Neither.....sounds like another body he stumbled across in that dumpster.

What a cheap bastard he is....no wonder Ricketts loves him.

 

[CSF77]

Busch is a legit bat he was just limited by what the dodgers had at the MLB level. I don't think it's fair to call him a 4A player because he absolutely destroyed AAA last season and has hit well all the way through the minors. Busch's issue is he doesn't have an obvious defensive home. He's passable at a few positions but I imagine he plays 1B for the cubs. He was never going to play that for the dodgers when they have freeman. But you're talking about a guy who had a 13.2% walk rate in the minors to pair with a .246 ISO. He also can hit for average better than your typical power guy.

I actually was interested in Busch to start the offseason as a target for 1B for them. My issue is he kinda needs to be really strong given what they gave up for him. Ferris could really blossom into a great pitching prospect and Hope has a high skillset if you can refine him a bit.

Edit: one thing i will say though is that IF Busch hits like I suspect you're getting basically all of his rookie control which is pretty big. Getting that kind of bat in FA if he is what he appears to be is so costly so I can see why they want him and maybe paid more than I would have liked.

Jackson Ferris was a fringe top 100 prospect.

 

[MDB111™]

Neither.....sounds like another body he stumbled across in that dumpster.

What a cheap bastard he is....no wonder Ricketts loves him.

I heard the Cubs are going to be the most aggressive team in the next coming weeks!

 

[beckdawg]

Ok i had some food which gave me a bit more time to digest the news and I had a couple more thoughts. There was a decent amount of chatter about cubs going after Josh Naylor for 1B. Me personally, I like Busch better than Naylor and he has a lot more control but they seem like similar ideas to get a cost controlled 1B.

Second thought, I could be wrong here but I believe Busch is eligible for the MLB's Prospect Promotion Incentive. You have to be top 100 player on 2 lists and have less than 60 days of service time(believe he has 45). Seattle got the #29 overall pick in the 2023 draft for Julio Rodríguez winning ROTY. There's apparently other ways you can earn picks as well but i'm not an expert on them. Regardless, given his polish and given he's almost certainly going to break camp with the cubs, there's a realistic shot he could win ROTY.

Third thought, I'm wondering if the cubs were down on Ferris because of his command. Cubs seem to very much value command pitchers(see wicks and shota as recent examples). They seem to prefer guys with solid command but less explosive stuff as opposed to guys with killer stuff who hope to learn control. And with Ferris and Herz before him being traded just makes me think they were bearish on his ability to improve otherwise I can't imagine including him. Hope I really like because of his tools but cubs have so many OF prospects and he's pretty far away so that doesn't bother me quite as much.

Overall though, I really hope people keep an open mind on Busch. Like I get it if you see him as a 26 year old who hasn't played much MLB ball and just assume 4A. However, think you need to consider is he was draft in 2019 and barely played like most draftees. He lost 2020 to covid season. He spent all of 2021 in AA and hit well(134 wRC+). He opened 2022 in AA and dominated(176 wRC+ over 137 PAs) and was promoted to AAA. He finished 2022 in AAA kinda average with a 102 wRC+. And then last year he raked in AAA for a 150 wRC+. So yes he's older but part of that is Covid and part of it is the fact LA had no spot for him. I realistically think he could be a 3 WAR player next year the bat is that good. It's at 1B most likely so it's not crazy as a prospect but to me he's more interesting than Hoskins/Naylor to fill a hole the cubs have.

 

[knoxville7]

Ok i had some food which gave me a bit more time to digest the news and I had a couple more thoughts. There was a decent amount of chatter about cubs going after Josh Naylor for 1B. Me personally, I like Busch better than Naylor and he has a lot more control but they seem like similar ideas to get a cost controlled 1B.

Second thought, I could be wrong here but I believe Busch is eligible for the MLB's Prospect Promotion Incentive. You have to be top 100 player on 2 lists and have less than 60 days of service time(believe he has 45). Seattle got the #29 overall pick in the 2023 draft for Julio Rodríguez winning ROTY. There's apparently other ways you can earn picks as well but i'm not an expert on them. Regardless, given his polish and given he's almost certainly going to break camp with the cubs, there's a realistic shot he could win ROTY.

Third thought, I'm wondering if the cubs were down on Ferris because of his command. Cubs seem to very much value command pitchers(see wicks and shota as recent examples). They seem to prefer guys with solid command but less explosive stuff as opposed to guys with killer stuff who hope to learn control. And with Ferris and Herz before him being traded just makes me think they were bearish on his ability to improve otherwise I can't imagine including him. Hope I really like because of his tools but cubs have so many OF prospects and he's pretty far away so that doesn't bother me quite as much.

Overall though, I really hope people keep an open mind on Busch. Like I get it if you see him as a 26 year old who hasn't played much MLB ball and just assume 4A. However, think you need to consider is he was draft in 2019 and barely played like most draftees. He lost 2020 to covid season. He spent all of 2021 in AA and hit well(134 wRC+). He opened 2022 in AA and dominated(176 wRC+ over 137 PAs) and was promoted to AAA. He finished 2022 in AAA kinda average with a 102 wRC+. And then last year he raked in AAA for a 150 wRC+. So yes he's older but part of that is Covid and part of it is the fact LA had no spot for him. I realistically think he could be a 3 WAR player next year the bat is that good. It's at 1B most likely so it's not crazy as a prospect but to me he's more interesting than Hoskins/Naylor to fill a hole the cubs have.

I’ll keep an open mind, but he’s got to prove it.

The cubs have their eyes set on winning the division, and right now I see a shit ton of question marks in this lineup

For me, that’s why Naylor made more sense. He’s proven it at the MLB level consistently in his young career. Sure, he has less control, but he’s much more a sure thing. And the cubs as much as they act like the damn rays, can afford to re sign a guy like Naylor when he does hit FA if they want to

Cubs really better be planning on finding a legit proven bat this offseason or they are in trouble

Right now they have unproven bats at first base and third base, which are two typical run producing hitters. They also have an unproven bat in center, which normally wouldn’t be a big deal but considering the status at 1st and 3rd it is more so of an issue

 

[Diehardfan]

I heard the Cubs are going to be the most aggressive team in the next coming weeks!

I heard the same thing......bullpen help on the way. Hoyer's been kicking the tires on Phil Regan and Carlos Marmol to make comebacks.

That dumpster is bottomless!!

 

[beckdawg]

Here's my thinking with Naylor. Both aren't good defenders. Both are bat first guys. Naylor is a good hitter but for my money not the type of bat you want out of 1B. Like I'll give Naylor the benefit of the doubt and just go with his past 2 seasons. He's had a .189 ISO in those seasons. He was a 20 grade runner coming up as a prospect which means realistically you're counting on homers for his ISO because he's not stretching singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Naylor has more of a Mark Grace like profile at 1B which listen I loved Grace but when you have Nico and Dansby who are weighted heavier on defense for their value than hitting you need more pop in my opinion.

Busch on the other hand was a 45 grade runner last update which isn't a speed guy but not a liability either. Busch has also shown he's able to walk more and as I said above he's shown real game power. Wouldn't surprise me if he hits 25-30 homers next season. Now that's not ya know Pete Alonso at 1B but it's more in line with the stereotypical 1B bat.

Overall, I get it if people are looking for more proven players. But proven players cost more as well both in terms of money and in terms of prospects. But for me personally, Busch is as close as you can get to a sure thing as a hitting prospect. No one questions his bat it's always been his defense which who cares at 1B? And if you buy into his bat and he shows what you think he can, that's a very valuable player the cubs have with his years of control.

To me this isn't a rays move. It's more like a move Atlanta would make recently. And to me, that's kind of how I want the cubs run not in the model of LA/BOS/NY. Invest heavy in development. Make wise trades and lock up your own players early for cheap. Teams like tampa and cleveland have done well with less resources but Atlanta's model with a bit more money or the 2000's era cardinals is a consistent way of winning without getting yourself tied up in bad contracts.