How Dodgers new prospects from Cubs trade fit into team’s long-term picture

Outfielder Zyhir Hope may be a dark horse acquisition for the Dodgers

Ferris' potential is immediately apparent, and he's been ranked by MLB Pipeline since he started throwing in Low-A, so the least-known name in the trade is Hope's, who is yet to crack the rankings. He was an 11th-round draft pick out of high school who absolutely mashed his way through Rookie ball, which has raised a lot of eyebrows among Dodgers fans. In only 11 games in 2023, he hit .286/.419/.543, with three home runs, nine RBI, and three stolen bases on top. Not only that, he was two-way player in high school but was drafted as a hitter, so the Dodgers could choose to transition him back to pitching.

Joe Tourville, affiliated with a hitting coaching service called Blast Baseball, put together an interesting thread about Hope's power and mechanics with a bat prior to the draft last year. The thread contains a lot of numbers and physics, but the gist of things is that Hope's bat speed is exceptional, and he has a very repeatable swing.

All in all, this Dodgers/Cubs trade will be good for everyone involved. Busch will get more playing time in Chicago and get more chances to live up to the hype of being a first-round draft pick and top-two prospect, while the Dodgers get a freed-up space on their roster and two very promising young players still in the earliest stages of their career, who they'll be able to develop and watch closely as time goes on.