Anthony Banda became a casualty of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ depth, and he was designated for assignment last week as a result.
That gave the Dodgers seven days to either place him on outright or unconditional release waivers, or find a trade for the left-hander. Banda was expected to have a trade market given his talent and contract, and that came to fruition.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Dodgers are trading Banda to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for international bonus pool money:
#MNTwins acquire LHP Anthony Banda from Dodgers for international bonus money. Banda had been DFA’d last week.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) February 12, 2026
Banda has been with the Dodgers since they acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians on May 17, 2024.
He joined the roster two days later and quickly became one of the most effective relievers, finishing the season by throwing 49.2 innings with a 3.08 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate while helping the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series as one of the “Bullpen Dogs.”
The fan favorite led the bullpen with 71 appearances in 2025, but he saw some regression with a FIP that rose by nearly one run from 3.67 to 4.52, a strikeout rate that declined by 1%, and a walk rate that increased by 4%.
The 32-year-old was highly effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .153 average and .496 OPS, but right-handers did damage against him, batting .229 with a .773 OPS.
Entering the 2026 season, the Dodgers have a bullpen group that includes Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, Justin Wrobleski and Ronan Kopp as options from the left-side.
Banda was also out of options, so the Dodgers would have needed to carry him on their 26-man roster or place him on waivers.
The two-time World Series champion finished his tenure with the Dodgers posting a 3.14 ERA in 114.2 innings.
Dodgers acquire bonus pool money for Anthony Banda
It’s unclear how much bonus pool money the Dodgers were given in exchange for Banda, but amounts need to be traded in increments of $250,000, or the full remaining amount a club has left if it’s below $250,000.
The Twins had a bonus pool available of $7,357,100 for 2026. Given previous trades, the Dodgers would likely be getting somewhere around or below $1 million.
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