📰 NEWS FLASH: Anthony Banda Helped Win Titles—So Why Did the Dodgers Let Him Go This Fast? ⚡ .NL

On paper, it’s a routine roster move.

In reality, it landed with a thud.

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated Anthony Banda for assignment on Friday, clearing a 40-man roster spot to claim catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

No dramatic press conference. No drawn-out explanation. Just a quiet decision that says more about the Dodgers’ current reality than it does about Banda himself.

Because Anthony Banda wasn’t fringe.

He was part of back-to-back World Series championships.

He logged 119 appearances over the last two seasons and posted a steady 3.14 ERA. When games tightened and matchups mattered, Banda was trusted—especially in October.

And yet, he was the one moved.

The explanation is simple and uncomfortable at the same time: the Dodgers have too many good left-handed relievers. Tanner Scott. Jack Dreyer.

Depth that most organizations would envy. In a bullpen overflowing with options, Banda became the “odd man out.”

That phrase does a lot of work.

It doesn’t mean Banda declined. It doesn’t mean he failed.

It means the Dodgers’ margin for sentiment has vanished. When a roster is built to win immediately—and repeatedly—past contributions don’t always buy future security.

This move is less about Banda and more about what the Dodgers are signaling.

They are operating from surplus. They are willing to risk losing a proven postseason arm to waivers because they believe the system can absorb it. That’s confidence. It’s also ruthlessness.

There’s still a chance Banda returns. If he clears waivers, the Dodgers could bring him back without the 40-man pressure. But even that possibility underscores the point: his role is now conditional.

The other side of the transaction adds another wrinkle.

Ben Rortvedt is back—briefly gone, now reclaimed. He was placed on waivers by the Dodgers at the end of the postseason, picked up by Cincinnati, and has now circled back.

After joining the Reds, Rortvedt spoke candidly about the transition, emphasizing how difficult it was and how much the support mattered.

Now he’s back in a different context.

Rortvedt becomes the third catcher on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, creating an immediate question heading into spring training. Will Smith is locked in as the starter for 2026.

That leaves Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing competing for position, development time, and—most importantly—roster clarity.

The Dodgers don’t carry three catchers lightly. Someone will lose that battle.

Taken together, these moves reveal a front office in trimming mode—not rebuilding, not hesitating, but refining. This is the cost of sustained dominance.

Hard calls replace hard feelings. Depth forces decisions earlier than expected.

For Banda, the timing stings. His most recent memory in Dodger blue includes pitching in the World Series against Toronto. Now, his status is uncertain, dependent on waiver wires and league-wide needs.

For the Dodgers, the move is a reminder of how quickly the ground shifts when expectations are sky-high. Winning buys flexibility—but it also demands constant recalibration.

There’s no drama in the announcement. No controversy in the numbers. But there is a message embedded in the move: nobody is safe because everyone is replaceable.

That’s how dynasties try to stay dynasties.

Whether it’s the right call will only be clear later. For now, the takeaway is quieter—and sharper.

The Dodgers didn’t lose Anthony Banda because he wasn’t good enough.

They let him go because, in their world, “good enough” isn’t always enough anymore.