Anthony Banda Praises Dodgers Organization Despite 'Utter Shock' With Trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers made several moves throughout the offseason to address space on their 40-man roster, which included Anthony Banda getting designated for assignment.

That ultimately led to the Dodgers trading Banda to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for $500,000 in international bonus pool money. That was a calculated move by the Dodgers as they'd forfeitted bonus pool money as part of the penalities to sign qualifying-offer free agents Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker.

For Banda, it amounted to joining the ninth team of his career. During an appearance on "Foul Territory," he shared a measured view of getting traded and spoke highly of the Dodgers organization despite being moved.

"One, don't get me wrong. I love everybody in that organization. Everybody involved in it, have done right by me, love me. When I got the phone call, it was more shock. I couldn't get any words out. I was so shocked.

"I wasn't shocked in the sense of maybe a potential trade at some point. I'm not oblivious. There's a lot of lefties that are really talented and stuff, and the whole DFA process was a shocker to me.

"But it just comes with the roster flexibility and stuff like that. I could tell that Gomes was not happy in the sense of wanting to be on that end of the phone call.

"He just kind of let me know and that was kind of it. He told me he'll reach back in a couple days and go from there. There wasn't much exchanged. It was utter shock. That was it.

"You can't take that very personal, right? At the end of the day, those are great people over there. They're amazing, they take care of families, they care. So you can't take the business aspect of them making moves or doing it the way they want to run the ship, because they were doing it well before I even got there.

"The way I look at it is, I was just extremely grateful they one, gave me the opportunity to have those special moments that we had. Two, you're not owed anything in this game. So it's like, take what you can get and keep moving forward."

Banda's comments were similar to a sentiment he shared through a post on Instagram shortly after the trade was made official.

"Los Angeles

The last two seasons changed my career," Banda wrote in the caption.

"I came here looking for a chance to contribute. What I found was an organization that challenged me, trusted me, and pushed me to be better every day. Because of that, I played the best baseball of my life - and I was fortunate enough to be part of two World Series championships along the way.

"To my teammates - thank you for the work, the preparation, the accountability, and the bond we built in that clubhouse. The standard in that room matters, and I’m proud to have been part of it.

"To the coaches, staff, and everyone behind the scenes - thank you for the belief and the support that allowed me to grow.

"And to Dodger fans - running out to that mound at Dodger Stadium is something I’ll never take for granted. Your energy, passion, and love for the game are special.

"I’ll always be grateful for my time in LA.
This chapter meant a lot to me.

"Thank you. 💙"

Banda was 8-3 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP while posting a 23.3% strikeout rate in 119 games (three starts) over the past two seasons with the Dodgers. He additionally appeared in 17 postseason games, sporting a 4.61 ERA.

Why did the Dodgers trade Anthony Banda?

Banda was DFA'd as a corresponding move to the Dodgers claiming Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. Ironically, Rortvedt was designated for assignment one week later and subsequently claimed by the New York Mets.

Banda's spot on the Dodgers' 40-man roster became tenuous due in part to his inconsistency last year and being out of Minor League options. Ahead of him on the depth chart were the likes of Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Jack Dreyer.