Along with reliever Yency Almonte, the Los Angeles Dodgers are sending infielder Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, according to a source. We still don't have the return confirmed on what is going back to the Dodgers, so stay tuned for more details. The 26-year-old former first-rounder was being blocked at the major-league level in Los Angeles, so a move to Chicago should give him more of an opportunity to crack the big-league lineup in 2024 and beyond. The left-handed-hitting Busch made his big-league debut for the Dodgers in 2023 but went just 12-for-72 (.167) with two home runs and seven RBI in 27 games played. He's likely to compete for the third-base job in Chicago in spring training and could become a platoon option for the Cubs at the hot corner against right-handed pitching.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are working on a deal to send relief pitcher Yency Almonte to the Chicago Cubs, according to a source. It remains to be seen what the Dodgers will receive in return. Almonte already avoided salary arbitration with the Dodgers back in November, signing a one-year, $1.9 million deal. The 29-year-old right-hander was dominant for the Blue in 2022 but took a big step back in 2023 in his second year in LA, posting a 5.06 ERA (4.59 FIP) and 1.39 WHIP with 24 walks and a career-high 49 strikeouts in 48 relief innings over 49 appearances out of the Dodgers' bullpen. Adbert Alzolay will open the 2024 season as Chicago's primary closer, but Almonte could eventually earn a high-leverage setup role alongside Julian Merryweather and Drew Smyly.

Trade talk surrounding Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease has quieted in recent weeks, but it's not due to lack of interest. General manager Chris Getz said there "isn't a club out there that hasn't expressed some level of interest" in the 28-year-old hurler. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said the White Sox could be waiting for the few remaining big names on the free-agent market to come off the board to drive up demand for Cease among teams who miss out on the likes of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Marcus Stroman. Chicago's reported demand is high, as they're reportedly seeking multiple high-end prospects and some "fill-ins" in return. Both Rosenthal and ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers indicated that the Baltimore Orioles could be the strongest contender for Cease because of their deep farm system, which features six players ranked in MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects.

The Pittsburgh Pirates believe right-handed pitching prospect Paul Skenes would benefit from more development in the minor leagues and that he's not ready for the majors yet, even though he's already better than everyone in their system, according to sources. The Pirates need him to be their long-term ace, so it wouldn't be wise for them to start his service-time clock early in 2024. The Athletic's Jim Bowden thinks Skenes will be a September call-up and a full-time starter in 2025. The 21-year-old was the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft and was voted the best pitching prospect in baseball by front-office executives from all 30 teams. He checked all the boxes in just 6 2/3 minor-league innings last year and is the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg. If he dominates the minors early in 2024, the Pirates may have no choice but to bring him up sooner than later.

The New York Mets' new front office has indicated a desire for first baseman Pete Alonso to finish out his career with the team, and Alonso has told teammates that his preference is to spend the rest of his career with the Mets. However, his agent, Scott Boras, has a long history of taking his clients to free agency when they get this close (next winter for Alonso) because that's usually where they'll land the best deal. The Mets have listened when teams have called about him, but they've never seriously considered trading him -- at least not yet. New York could re-evaluate the situation with Alonso at the trade deadline this summer, but the most likely outcome is they'll keep him through the 2024 season and then be willing to match the best offer he gets on the open market. The 29-year-old slugger had a career-low .217 batting average in 2023, but he also ranked third in home runs with 46 and second in RBI (118) in all of baseball.