Sometimes, trades work out perfectly. Michael Busch is doing his best to make the Cubs acquisition of his this winter one of those times.

Jed Hoyer knew the Cubs needed a first baseman and another left-handed bat in their lineup. He decided Michael Busch was the answer and dealt southpaw Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Busch and reliever Yency Almonte.

Ferris was a second-rounder for the Cubs in 2022 out of IMG Academy in Florida. He’s allowed five earned runs in six and a third innings of work for the Dodgers High-A affiliate this season. It's a small sample size, indeed. Ferris—who posted a 3.38 ERA and a 12.38 K/9 in 18 starts for Myrtle Beach last season in the Cubs system has plenty of upside for Los Angeles.

But Busch is off to a scorching start for the Cubs at the major league level this season, and that’s exactly what they needed.

The 26-year-old infielder is slashing .327/.410/.731 with six home runs and a 199 wRC+ in 16 games with the Cubs this season. He’s already amassed 0.9 fWAR, and thus far, he’s been everything the Cubs had hoped for and more when they traded for him in January.

It’s not just the power numbers that have improved for Busch this season. His strikeout rate is down, and his walk rate is up from his 81 plate appearances with the Dodgers last season.

Oh, and if Busch keeps this up, he might not only provide the Cubs with a big left-handed bat for their major league lineup but a chance to draft someone who could replace Jackson Ferris’ role in the farm system.

Busch has Prospect Promotion Incentive eligibility. If he wins the National League Rookie of the Year award this season, the Cubs will be awarded a draft pick immediately following the first round in 2025. Ferris was drafted in the second round, and it’s conceivable that they could turn that pick into another high-upside high school arm, making the deal the ultimate win for the Cubs.

Yency Almonte’s 5.68 ERA this season doesn’t look great at first glance. Still, he can attribute it to a pair of rough outings during the season’s first week when he was tagged for an earned run in a third of an inning against the Rangers on Opening Day and three more in a third of an inning against the Rockies on April 3.

Almonte hasn’t allowed an earned run since that outing and has strung together five consecutive scoreless outings in which he’s allowed one hit and struck out nine of the 17 hitters he’s faced.

If Almonte continues to pitch the way he has outside of two rough outings and Busch can continue to slug the baseball the way that he has, the Cubs could end up with two everyday contributors at the major league level and a pick at the top of the second round in next summer’s MLB Draft.

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