Cubs trading for Michael Busch & Yency Almonte (for Ferris & Hope)

[Tryptamine]

Tapping onto what TT said, Busch is a guy who can become a 25HR hitter, and may even approach 30 in peak years, but he's also going to spray a lot of doubles all over the field. I'm actually expecting him to be some mish mash of 2021 and 2022 Josh Bell with upside of 2019. I think he's a guy who can post a .260/.360/460  regularly.

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Tapping onto what TT said, Busch is a guy who can become a 25HR hitter, and may even approach 30 in peak years, but he's also going to spray a lot of doubles all over the field. I'm actually expecting him to be some mish mash of 2021 and 2022 Josh Bell with upside of 2019. I think he's a guy who can post a .260/.360/460  regularly.

First, thank you and TT for responding. 

Josh Bell hit a lot of ground balls. Busch does not appear to be a guy who hits the ball on the ground. But I would take .260/.360/.460 and a guy who hits the  ball in the air. 

[Jason Ross]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

I realize that. But other posters do. He is a KC first baseman that when it was mentioned he was possibly available several people spoke highly of him. I know 1908 likes him. I am just curious how Busch ranks versus him. 

I'd have said pre-trade I liked Pasquitino more. and I still think I do. With that said, Busch impressed me more than I thought when I dug into the 2022-2023 changes. I'd say Pasq has better bat to ball, Equal power, equal approach, Busch the better defense. I think I'd take Pasq's bat upside, but Busch isn't a full standard deviation below. I kind of dig Busch. 

[Tryptamine]

Just now, Rcal10 said:

First, thank you and TT for responding. 

Josh Bell hit a lot of ground balls. Busch does not appear to be a guy who hits the ball on the ground. But I would take .260/.360/.460 and a guy who hits the  ball in the air. 

yeah, it was strictly a results based comparison. They're both guys who take a lot of walks and strike out surprisingly few times given their well above average pop. As you mentioned, Bell puts the ball on the ground a lot more and also doesn't use the whole field as much as Busch has shown to do.

[Rob]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

I think Busch has more swing and miss and a bit better batting eye and HR potential, but I think they have a fair amount of similarities as LHH 1B who don't try to go full Gallo in their offensive approach, with more gap to gap swings and above average contact rates.

I've been trying to avoid it because it feels really lazy, but I like an Anthony Rizzo comp. A lot of that depends on the AAA strikeout rate development sticking, but if it does...

[Tryptamine]

Just now, Rob said:

I've been trying to avoid it because it feels really lazy, but I like an Anthony Rizzo comp. A lot of that depends on the AAA strikeout rate development sticking, but if it does...

Rizzo occurred to me as well, but then I looked back and remembered how crazy Rizzo's K% was for a guy 30 bombs a year. From 2015 to 2019 he was between 12-16 K% while averaging around a 140 wRC+. Rizzo is one of those guys that I always say is good, but when I look back at the numbers I find myself thinking, this guy was not good or very good, he was absolutely elite as a 1B.

[Rcal10]

Kind of getting excited about Busch with the positive write ups I am seeing.

[Tryptamine]

7 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Kind of getting excited about Busch with the positive write ups I am seeing.

There's a reason he's a top 50 guy on some lists, despite the lack of a position.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Saying nothing of Busch as a player, I was impressed by him at the Cubs Convention (based on Marquee's coverage - I wasn't there).

The guy was traded on Thursday, showed up at the Convention Friday, and was part of the kids panel Saturday.  Nothing like throwing him right into the fire, but he acquitted himself nicely.  Seems to be a likeable guy.

[CubinNY]

12 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

Tapping onto what TT said, Busch is a guy who can become a 25HR hitter, and may even approach 30 in peak years, but he's also going to spray a lot of doubles all over the field. I'm actually expecting him to be some mish mash of 2021 and 2022 Josh Bell with upside of 2019. I think he's a guy who can post a .260/.360/460  regularly.

He's already in his peak years, so...

[Jason Ross]

 

[Tryptamine]

3 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

 

BP doesn't count as one of the big 3 for ROY draft pick compensation, right? It's MLB.com, BA and who's the third?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

12 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

BP doesn't count as one of the big 3 for ROY draft pick compensation, right? It's MLB.com, BA and who's the third?

ESPN

[Tryptamine]

Just now, Transmogrified Tiger said:

ESPN

Ugh, just ugh.

[Bertz]

Someone finally got Carter on the record about Busch at 3B:

Quote

 

“Our expectation is he’s on the Opening Day roster,” GM Carter Hawkins said over the weekend at the Cubs Convention. “I think there’s obviously opportunity at first base — that’s kinda the easy plug-and-play. He’s got really good reviews defensively over there from our scouts that have seen him, from talking to the Dodgers, from obviously seeing him over there.

“But he can play second, he can play third. We have a pretty good second baseman, so it’s unlikely that he’ll play over there as much. Third, I think there’s an opportunity over there. That’s probably the spot that he has to work on the most, but it’s a spot that we’d absolutely be open to him playing and we wanna get his bat in the lineup and we’ll figure out anyway we can do that.”

 

At this point I'm expecting Madrigal to be the primary 3B, at least initially.  Busch appears to be the guy who will slide across the diamond if/when he falters though.

[Rcal10]

35 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Someone finally got Carter on the record about Busch at 3B:

At this point I'm expecting Madrigal to be the primary 3B, at least initially.  Busch appears to be the guy who will slide across the diamond if/when he falters though.

So there is still  possibility of a trade for Naylor, sign Bellinger and sign Stephenson. IMO that’s the best “somewhat” realistic scenario. It would leave 3rd to Busch and Morel with the other being the DH. 

[Bull]

23 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

So there is still  possibility of a trade for Naylor, sign Bellinger and sign Stephenson. IMO that’s the best “somewhat” realistic scenario. It would leave 3rd to Busch and Morel with the other being the DH. 

I’m having a hard time figuring out how that’s your takeaway from what we both just read.

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, Bull said:

I’m having a hard time figuring out how that’s your takeaway from what we both just read.

The entirety of the comment was Busch could slide over to 3rd. So therefore that would mean Naylor could be added. That is how I came to that takeaway.