LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers parted ways with one fan favorite to make room for another, designating lefty reliever Anthony Banda for assignment and claiming catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Reds on Friday.
Banda, 32, bounced around the Majors earlier in his career, making appearances for seven big league teams before catching on with the Dodgers in 2024. He became a valuable under-the-radar bullpen arm on the back-to-back championship teams, posting a 3.14 ERA in 119 games with L.A.
Rortvedt, 28, returns to the Dodgers after a second-half stint with the team last season. Acquired as catching depth in a three-team deal with the Rays and Reds ahead of the Trade Deadline, Rortvedt became the emergency starting catcher after Will Smith and Dalton Rushing went down with injuries in September. He hit only .224 but received high praise for his handling of the rotation, and he was claimed off waivers in November by the Reds, who designated him for assignment when they signed Eugenio Suárez on Tuesday.
Here are some questions raised by Friday's roster moves:
Why part ways with Banda?
Set to earn $1.625 million in his second year of arbitration eligibility, Banda's affordability and effectiveness as a middle-relief arm were an appealing combination. As such, this decision would appear to have more to do with the other pitchers on the Dodgers' 40-man roster.
Banda was one of six rostered lefty relievers, a group that also included Jack Dreyer, Ronan Kopp, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Justin Wrobleski. Banda is out of Minor League options, so the Dodgers were looking at a potential roster crunch if they kept him.
How might the bullpen look on Opening Day?
The Dodgers' bullpen should be more or less set, although the last few spots could be up for grabs. The locks are Edwin Díaz, Scott, Brusdar Graterol, Vesia and Blake Treinen. Since Banda is out of options, he likely would have had a spot.
That leaves three more relievers, possibly two left-handers and one right-hander, if L.A. continues to carry a balanced bullpen. Dreyer put together a strong rookie campaign last year, so he should be a frontrunner for a spot. Wrobleski seems more likely to make the team now that Banda is gone. The right-handed options to round out the group include Ben Casparius, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt and Will Klein.
What does Rortvedt's addition mean for the catching mix?
Rortvedt is also out of Minor League options, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he has the advantage over Rushing for the job of being Smith's backup. That could make Rortvedt a DFA candidate before Opening Day.
The Dodgers don't have much upper-level catching depth behind Smith and Rushing, so having Rortvedt in the fold has some logic. If they have to designate him for assignment at some point, they could try to sneak him through waivers and keep him in the organization on a Minor League deal. There's no way to guarantee that another team wouldn't claim him in that scenario, though, so they can't count on keeping him as depth if he has to be removed from the 40-man roster.