Anthony Banda

The Minnesota Twins acquired left-handed reliever Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in exchange for international bonus money, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The Dodgers designated Banda for assignment. In a corresponding move, the Twins designated pitcher Jackson Kowar (shoulder) for assignment. The 32-year-old Banda pitched well in relief for the Dodgers the last two seasons, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, two saves, and 111:52 K:BB in 114 2/3 innings. The Twins have one of the more unsettled bullpens in baseball as they rebuild, so Banda should be in line for a pretty significant high-leverage role and could rack up plenty of holds in his first year in Minnesota. In his nine-year MLB career, Banda has a 4.44 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, three saves, and a 21.5% strikeout rate in 233 1/3 regular-season innings.