The Los Angeles Dodgers have added a former New York Yankees relief pitcher who struggled during his short stint.
New York Yankees relief pitcher Anthony Banda (61)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have added former New York Yankees reliever Anthony Banda, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Banda, a member of the Yankees in the 2022-23 season, has been all around the league during his seven-year MLB career.
He was on the Cleveland Guardians, but not on their 40-man roster, so it didn’t require a move until he was added to the Dodgers’ roster on Sunday. Despite some of the struggles he’s faced during his career, the San Jacinto JC product has thrown well in the minors for the Guardians, posting a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings pitched.
With 25 strikeouts and a WHIP below 0.95, Los Angeles looks to add a pitcher who allowed three earned runs in just two appearances for New York. If he can do what he’s done throughout this year in the minors, the Dodgers could add a valuable lefty-relief pitcher, something contending teams are always searching for.
Similar to the Yankees, Los Angeles is in a position to win now.
However, they’ve dealt with multiple injuries to their pitching staff, losing Emmet Sheehan to Tommy John and Connor Brogdon hitting the 60-day injured list with right plantar fasciitis.
Banda’s best season came in 2021 during his 25 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates, posting a 3.42 ERA in 26 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out an impressive 32 hitters for the Pirates.
However, since then, he’s been all over, playing for four different teams in that span.
Some of that comes when he was in the minors, while he’s appeared in the big leagues on multiple occasions, most recently in 2023.
His struggles continued in the 2023 season, earning a 6.43 ERA in 10 outings.
Banda has shown the ability to pitch multiple innings this year, pitching in six games that saw him throw in multiple innings.