Dodgers Trade Anthony Banda in Savvy Move by Andrew Friedman

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Anthony Banda (43) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with a 40-man roster crunch throughout the offseason that has resulted in multiple players getting designated for assignment.

For Ben Rortvedt, it twice has been the case. The first instance saw Rortvedt claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds, only to eventually make his way back to the Dodgers just recently. But when the team re-signed Evan Phillips on Wednesday, Rortvedt was DFA'd by the Dodgers for a second time.

There seemingly is hope of sneaking the backup catcher through waivers in order to keep him as organizational depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers claiming Rortvedt off waivers from the Reds last week resulted in Anthony Banda getting designated for assignment in order to make room on their 40-man roster.

Anthony Banda traded after Dodgers DFA

Banda's time with the Dodgers organization has now come to an end as he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for international bonus pool money, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

#MNTwins acquire LHP Anthony Banda from Dodgers for international bonus money. Banda had been DFA’d last week.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) February 12, 2026

The Dodgers recouping bonus pool money is of value for the team considering they forfeited multiple draft picks this offseason in order to sign qualifying-offer free agents Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker. Supplementing their draft class with international signings is a way to mitigate those losses.

As for Banda, he now is poised to join the ninth team of his career. The left-hander had been with the Dodgers since getting claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians in May 2024.

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. He additionally appeared in 17 postseason games for the Dodgers, sporting a 4.61 ERA.

Banda became expendable in a Dodgers bullpen that projects to have fellow southpaws Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Jack Dreyer. There also is the possibility of Justin Wrobleski being utilized as a reliever.

In addition to some inconsistent performance last year, Banda's status on the roster was seemingly hurt by no longer having Minor League options remaining. The 32-year-old now joins the Twins with multiple years of team control via salary arbitration.

The Dodgers and Banda already avoided arbitration for the 2026 season by agreeing to a $1.65 million salary. It represented an increase from the $1 million Banda received in 2025, but fell short of MLB Trade Rumors' projection of $2 million salary for this year.