The Dodgers Farm System

No big loss. He was redundant with Rojas anyway. Potentially good news for Freeland.

Thanks Andrew. I’ve got to think we’ll at least get a player back for Banda.

The Dodgers spend about 75% of their revenue back on the team. They spent how much renovating Dodger Stadium? I feel no sympathy for billionaires who are spending around 35-40% of their revenue on the ball club. The Cubs spend 39% and Ricketts is wealthier than Walters. Kudos to AZ who despite having kind of a crappy fan base they still spend 66.7% on their team. MLB better be careful about biting the hand that feeds them. Ohtani is a unicorn in his ability to generate revenue for a club. He won’t be around forever. If they need to make an adjustment around the Dodgers TV contract that seems reasonable but that’s it for me.

Masher seems like an exaggeration.

Rortvedt’s return seems certain to affect Rushing’s future. Sheehan + Rushing for Skubal? Sheehan + Rushing + ??? Hey, why not toss Bobby Miller in there… A deal just seems that much more plausible now, like the move of a pawn to set up something bigger. The Tigers can try to maximize Skubal’s value now and avoid his $32m salary this season by bringing in Sheehan at the league minimum with years of future control, and add a potential star in Rushing. I hear that Rushing has options and could be sent to OKC. Skubal-Yamamoto-Snell-Shohei-Glasnow-Sasaki…with Ryan and Stone and others in the wings. I’m a bit bummed about Banda, a working-class hero who led the Dodgers in appearances while Tanner Scott shat the bed. Of course we are hoping that Scott bounces back….

Would they now consider trading Dalton with Big Ben back? Not suggesting they should, but just wondering. Might be a major mistake to trade him,

1. Why would they trade Rushing in favor of Rortvedt? The dude can’t hit! 2. Anyone could be traded for the right price. I would trade Ohtani for Judge and Skubal. 3. I never considered Banda being DFA’ed. 4. I don’t think Skubal will be traded now… only if the Tigers are not in contention at the Deadline.

“Tweaker”

So what happens to Rortvedt then if they don’t trade Rushing? My understanding is he doesn’t have any minor league options. They won’t carry 3 catchers. Are they planning on releasing him later hoping that no one will pick him up because of full rosters, and then send him to AAA?

We will have to see how this plays out.

Yasiel Puig is facing 20 years in prison after being convicted on Federal Charges.

My dad always said he was a million dollar talent with a ten cent head.

I’m not sure, but I think acquiring Rortvedt is mainly because the Dodgers don’t have another catcher on the 40-man roster.

Maybe he’s like actual insurance snd hope to never use him.

No need for Scooby or Shaggy… But like Lola in “Damn Yankees,” whatever AF wants, AF gets. One reason I like trades, especially blockbusters, is to give prospects blocked on the Dodgers the opportunity to shine. (One reason the Dodgers landed Tibbs and Erhard is that they were blocked on the Red Sox. ) The Dodgers have a lot of talented prospects who would benefit from a trade.

I think he overvalued his head!

Correct.

FROM MLBTR: Dodgers Designate Anthony Banda For Assignment By Darragh McDonald | February 6, 2026 at 2:25pm CDT The Dodgers announced that they have designated left-hander Anthony Banda for assignment. That’s the corresponding move for their claim of catcher Ben Rortvedt, a move that was previously reported. It’s a little bit of a surprise to see Banda losing his roster spot. He’s been a serviceable member of the Dodger bullpen for a couple of years now, even making multiple playoff appearances over the past two years. The Dodgers also tendered him a contract for 2026, agreeing to a $1.625MM salary last month. But there were also some worrying trends in his 2025 performance. In 2024, he had given the Dodgers 49 2/3 innings with a 3.08 earned run average, 23.9% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 44.4% ground ball rate. His ERA mostly held steady last year, climbing marginally to 3.18, but with more concern under the hood. His strikeout rate dropped to 22.8%. His walk rate shot up to 12.7%. He only induced grounders on 39.4% of balls in play. His ERA would have climbed more if not for a .227 batting average on balls in play and 83.1% strand rate, both very fortunate numbers. His 4.52 FIP and 4.39 SIERA suggested he deserved far worse. He then got lit up in the playoffs, allowing six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Dodgers also have plenty of other lefty options. Banda probably wouldn’t have pitched in the playoffs so much if not for Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia being unavailable, Scott due to injury and Vesia due to a family matter. Both Scott and Vesia are expected to be back next year. The Dodgers have also seen young guys like Jack Dreyer and Justin Wrobleski take steps forward. On top of Banda’s performance and the other lefties on hand, Banda is also out of options, which surely helped nudge him off the roster. The Dodgers tendering him a contract perhaps suggests they are hoping to pass him through waivers unclaimed, which would therefore allow them to keep him as non-roster depth. It wouldn’t be the first time they tried that this winter. They signed Ben Rortvedt and Andy Ibáñez to modest deals of just over $1MM then later put both on waivers, seemingly hoping that no other club would take on the modest salaries. It didn’t work in either case. Rortvedt was claimed by the Reds in November, though the Dodgers claimed him back today. Also earlier today, Ibáñez was claimed by the Athletics. It seems likely that Banda would be claimed as well, despite his shaky 2025. He has some major league success and the salary is not massive. He could also be retained via arbitration for the 2027 season by any acquiring club. Given the weak bullpens of some clubs around the league, especially the rebuilding ones, it seems unlikely that 29 clubs would pass on him. DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Dodgers could take five days to field trade interest. If the interest is decent enough, perhaps they can find a club willing to part with some cash considerations or a lottery-ticket prospect. If they plan to put him on waivers, they should probably do so sooner rather than later. The 60-day injured list opens up next week, which will give most clubs some extra roster flexibility for moves such as waiver claims.

Why trade Rushing in favor of Rortvedt? Simply because the Dodgers could get more in trade for Rushing, a potential star blocked by Smith, than for Rortvedt, who evidently made a big impression in a short time with the Dodgers in how he handled the pitchers and played defense. Those skills are more valuable in a backup catcher than simply hitting. Rortvedt’s return could lead to a trade, but the Dodgers may also send Rushing back to OKC to play full-time. (Rushing still has options; Rortvedt doesn’t.) Or perhaps Rortvedt is DFA’d again and the Dodgers hope he passes through waivers and can be sent down to OKC. With the obvious exception of Skubal, I can’t think of a plausible trade target now that could clearly improve the Dodgers in ’26. The Banda DFA surprised me too, though some Dodger watchers had suggested it could happen. He was solid for two years, even leading the staff in appearances in ’25. Just another sign of how deep this team is.

Why trade Rushing in favor of Rortvedt? Simply because the Dodgers could get more in trade for Rushing, a potential star blocked by Smith, than for Rortvedt, who evidently made a big impression in a short time with the Dodgers in how he handled the pitchers and played defense. Those skills are more valuable in a backup catcher than simply hitting. Rortvedt’s return could lead to a trade, but the Dodgers may also send Rushing back to OKC to play full-time. (Rushing still has options; Rortvedt doesn’t.) Or perhaps Rortvedt is DFA’d again and the Dodgers hope he passes through waivers and can be sent down to OKC. With the obvious exception of Skubal, I can’t think of a plausible trade target now that could clearly improve the Dodgers in ’26. The Banda DFA surprised me too, though some Dodger watchers had suggested it could happen. He was solid for two years, even leading the staff in appearances in ’25. Just another sign of how deep this team is.

For the 2026 MLB season, Major League Baseball is officially implementing the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System across all 30 ballparks for Spring Training, the regular season, and the postseason. Unlike a “full” robot umpire system that calls every pitch, 2026 utilizes a hybrid challenge format where human home plate umpires continue to make initial calls, but specific players have the right to appeal to the automated technology. Core Challenge Rules Initial Challenges: Each team starts every game with two challenges. Retention: If a challenge is successful (the call is overturned), the team retains that challenge. If the call stands, the challenge is lost. Extra Innings: If a team enters an extra inning with no challenges remaining, they are awarded one challenge for that inning. This resets for each subsequent extra inning if the challenge is exhausted. The Challenge Process Who Can Challenge: Only the pitcher, catcher, or batter currently involved in the play may initiate a challenge. Managers and dugout personnel are strictly prohibited from intervening. The Signal: To signal a challenge, the player must immediately tap their cap or batting helmet. Immediacy: The request must be made instantly after the call to prevent players from receiving signals or data from the dugout. Review Time: The entire process—comparing the pitch to the automated zone and displaying the result on the stadium videoboard—is expected to take approximately 15 seconds. The 2026 Technology and Strike Zone The system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras and AI software to track the ball’s location with a margin of error of approximately 1/16th of an inch. Customized Zone: Each batter has a personalized strike zone based on their officially measured height. Vertical Limits: The top of the zone is set at 53.5% of the player’s height, and the bottom is set at 27%. Horizontal Limits: The zone is 17 inches wide (the width of home plate). The “Tick” Rule: If any part of the ball touches any part of this three-dimensional zone, it is considered a strike.

Haha

Why are some on this site so trigger-happy on pulling a trade when the season hasn’t even started and this team is constructed more solidity roster-wise with more depth than the previous two World Championship teams? Patience gentlemen!!!

Two questions; 1. “ Extra Innings: If a team enters an extra inning with no challenges remaining, they are awarded one challenge for that inning. This resets for each subsequent extra inning if the challenge is exhausted”. If a team has 1or 2 challenges left after 9 innings, do they get any extra challenges in extra innings? If not, then one exhaust their allotment before regulation play. 2. “ The “Tick” Rule: If any part of the ball touches any part of this three-dimensional zone, it is considered a strike”. It is my understanding that the strike zone is based on a two dimensional plane at the mid point of home plate, not a three dimensional plane. Has this been changed? And if so, why?

No clue. I guess it’s fun to play with other people’s assets. I personally don’t mind predicting FA signings but trades are too hard to figure. Only one I remember that was telegraphed start to finish was Mondesi for Green.