The Dodgers have already gotten a real payoff from the Michael Busch trade, and there may still be more coming. Zyhir Hope was part of that return, and Los Angeles eventually turned him into one of the centerpieces in the deal for Tarik Skubal. For a player who was fully blocked in Los Angeles, that’s a strong haul.
But Hope wasn’t the only piece the Dodgers got back for Busch, who settled in as a good-but-not-great first baseman. They also landed left-hander Jackson Ferris, and his name is starting to matter again. Sonja Chen of MLB.com listed Ferris as one of three Dodgers prospects who could make an impact in 2027 after his rise to Oklahoma City in 2026.
That matters even more with the uncertainty around Skubal’s future and whether Los Angeles can keep him. If that part of the trade doesn’t hold long term, Ferris becomes a bigger piece of the story.
Ferris has already shown both sides of why he’s still worth watching. He debuted in pro ball with the Cubs in 2023 at Single-A and put up a 3.38 ERA over 56 innings as a 19-year-old. After joining the Dodgers system the next year, he kept rolling at Great Lakes with a 3.39 ERA, then took another step forward in a seven-start run at Tulsa, where he posted a 2.54 ERA.
The climb got tougher after that. His strikeouts dipped and his walks climbed against Double-A hitters, and when he repeated the level for a full season in 2025, the results were more ordinary: a 3.86 ERA. This year in Oklahoma City, things got rough, with a 5.12 ERA.
Still, there was a finish worth noting. Chen pointed out that Ferris steadied himself with a 1.00 ERA across his final six starts and 36 innings. That late surge is the kind of thing that can change how a season feels heading into the next one.
Ferris once got as high as No. 82 on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list in 2025. He entered 2026 as the Dodgers’ No. 5 overall prospect by Baseball America, though he has since slid to No. 16.
What keeps him in the conversation is the arsenal. His scouting report includes six pitches: two- and four-seam fastballs, a cutter, a slider, a curveball and a changeup. That kind of mix points to a starter, but stamina and command could push him to the bullpen instead.
If he ends up in relief in 2027, that may be where he helps the Dodgers first. Shorter outings should let his stuff play up, and he could lean more heavily on his best pitches, especially his changeup, while trimming away the weaker parts of the mix. That kind of role could also help him build the confidence to move back toward starting later on.
There’s still plenty to like here. Ferris has the kind of background and upside that can matter in a hurry, and if he becomes an impact reliever in 2027, that would be a real lift for a Dodgers bullpen that often needs help down the stretch. If he then uses that as a springboard into the rotation in 2028 and beyond, the Busch trade could keep paying off for a long time.
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