Dodgers Way
FanSided

Dodgers trade steal's hype train is picking up serious steam after fall showcase

Jun 20, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Draft prospect Zyhir Hope during a high school baseball game at the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jun 20, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Draft prospect Zyhir Hope during a high school baseball game at the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On arbitration deadline day this year, the Dodgers traded Michael Busch to the Cubs for top-30 prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope. The trade was something of a mercy for Busch, who was never going to get playing time in the crowded Dodgers' infield, especially not after a disappointing 27 games during his 2023 debut season.

Busch gave the Dodgers some cause for regret throughout the season, with his five-game homer streak and 4-for-5 night against LA during the opener of the second Dodgers-Cubs series this year, but Ferris and Hope have also been making quiet but massive strides in the minors.

Ferris threw eight nearly perfect innings in his last High-A start this season, and he was promptly promoted to Double-A, where he finished the year with a 2.54 ERA. Hope also had a very nice year in Single-A, batting .287 with a .905 OPS.

As a member of the Arizona Fall League's Glendale Desert Dogs this year, Hope's average dipped, but his power remained on full display. He hit five homers, one of which was a 470-footer in his AFL debut, and it left the bat at 110.6 MPH.

Dodgers prospect Zyhir Hope put himself on the map with massive displays of power in the AFL

After he was traded, Hope landed at No. 20 in the Dodgers' pipeline but worked his way up to No. 11 by the end of the year. He closed out 23 AFL games with a .228 average and .446 slugging, slugging five homers and 21 RBI. He was also selected to the Fall Stars Game, when he made a great play to rob at least extra bases from the AL and had a stolen base and RBI sac fly.

It wouldn't be at all surprising if Hope starts the 2025 season in High-A and maybe even gets a promotion to Double-A in the later months of the year, depending on his performance, although MLB Pipeline still predicts his landing in MLB in 2027.

Busch had a nice year with the Cubs, but moving him was a no-brainer, and the Dodgers got two high-potential prospects out of the deal. Ferris is also still at least a year away from his MLB debut, but both have made it clear they're ones to watch as they ascend through the minors.

Home/Dodgers Prospects

Schedule