Dodgers look to catch lightning in a bottle by signing ex-Cubs fan favorite

David Bote's path through professional baseball has given him one of the most admirable stories in the game.

He was an 18th-round pick for the Cubs in 2012 and didn't make his MLB debut until 2018 after a slow progression (and, at times, demotions) through the minors. When he finally got his shot, it was hard to expect anything out of him, but through the summer of 2018, he developed a penchant for heroics, with two walk-off homers — one a grand slam — in August alone.

Bote made it onto the Cubs' top 30 prospects list for the first time, debuting at No. 15 in 2018, and signed a five-year, $15 million extension with Chicago in April 2019. He got his first real stab at the majors that year, playing in 129 games. He hit decently (.257 with a .785 OPS) and made it onto the Opening Day roster in 2020 and 2021. However, his performance dipped in the latter season, and he spent that year and 2022 going back and forth between the majors and Triple-A before spending the entirety of 2023 in the minors.

He played another 37 major league games in Chicago this past season, but elected minor league free agency at the end of the year and finally decided to part ways with the Cubs, signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers instead.

Dodgers sign former Cubs fan favorite David Bote to a minor league deal

Bote's 2024 season was uneven. He spent most of April on the IL and was called up to the majors from June, as Nick Madrigal was sent down, through August, when Keegan Thompson was recalled. Bote was out of minor league options and was designated for assignment, but he went unclaimed off of waivers and stayed in the Cubs' system, only for them to place him on the Developmental List for another month.

Through 28 games at Triple-A, he hit .259 with a .887 OPS. During the little time he spent in the majors, he actually hit relatively decently in June and July but disappeared completely in August.

Throughout all of his years in the minors, Bote's played every position except catcher, and he has that history of miraculous timing behind him in the majors. He could earn a call up at some point in 2025, if any untimely injuries befall any of the position players and, unlike a lot of the Dodgers' minor league reclamation projects, he does seem to have a lot more potential to make something out of it.