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Dodgers To Sign Keston Hiura To Minor League Deal

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Former Brewers top prospect Keston Hiura is heading to the Dodgers on a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The agreement includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. The 29-year-old first baseman is represented by CAA Sports.

Hiura spent last season in the Rockies organization. He was up with the big-league club for a couple of weeks in June, but mostly spent the year at Triple-A. Hiura put together a solid season with Albuquerque. He hit .272 with 21 home runs across 100 games. Hiura went 3-for-18 in his brief stint in Colorado.

Milwaukee selected Hiura with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft. He immediately began obliterating minor league pitching and found himself atop the Brewers’ prospect ranks by the end of 2018.

Hiura didn’t break camp with the team in 2019, but earned his first callup in May. He put together a tremendous rookie season. Hiura posted a 139 wRC+ with 19 home runs in 84 games as a 22-year-old. He appeared to be a fixture in Milwaukee’s lineup for years to come.

Hiura’s profile at the plate began to show cracks in the shortened 2020 campaign. His already-high 30.7% strikeout rate jumped to 34.6%. He led the league in punchouts. Hiura still delivered solid power numbers (13 home runs, .410 SLG), but the swing-and-miss was becoming a problem.

The bottom dropped out in 2021. Hiura’s strikeout rate ballooned to 39.1%. He hit .168 while spending most of the season bouncing between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville. It was more of the same the following season. Hiura delivered a 115 wRC+ with 14 home runs over 80 games, but it came with an untenable 41.7% strikeout rate. He spent all of 2023 with the Sounds.

The Tigers, Angels, and Rockies have all taken fliers on Hiura in recent years. He’s performed well in the minors during the stretch, and really at all times in his career, but he hasn’t stuck as a big leaguer. Hiura has more than twice as many strikeouts (17) as hits (8) over the 18 MLB games he’s played the past two years.

The Dodgers will be Hiura’s latest stop. He’s likely a long shot to contribute in the majors given the depth of L.A.’s roster, but maybe the organization has an answer for his contact issues.

Photos courtesy of Rhona Wise and Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Dodgers Trade Anthony Banda To Twins

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1:17pm: The Twins sent $500K of pool space to the Dodgers in the deal, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. (International pool space must be traded in $250K increments.) For clarity’s sake, no actual money exchanged hands; rather, the Twins shrunk their league-allotted spending limit by $500K, while the Dodgers’ limit correspondingly increases by $500K.

12:27pm: The Twins have acquired veteran left-hander Anthony Banda from the Dodgers, per announcements from both clubs. Minnesota is sending international bonus space back to L.A. in return. Banda had been designated for assignment by the Dodgers last week. Righty Jackson Kowar has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Banda.

The Dodgers originally acquired Banda, now 32, in a cash deal early in the 2024 season. He quickly emerged as a quality bullpen option for them and spent the next season-plus as a frequently used southpaw for manager Dave Roberts. From 2024-25 in L.A., Banda logged a tidy 3.14 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate, 10.9% walk rate and 41.6% ground-ball rate. He averaged 96 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker while recording a 13.2% swinging-strike rate that suggests he could have a few more punchouts in the tank. Banda tallied 19 holds and two saves in 114 2/3 innings as a Dodger.

Banda’s 2025 season, however, wasn’t as sharp as his 2024 campaign. He lost a percentage point off his strikeout rate while his walk rate climbed by four points, from 8.6% to 12.7%. He still notched a 3.18 ERA in a career-high 65 innings, but his rate stats understandably gave the Dodgers some cause for concern.

The discrepancy between the bullpens in Los Angeles and Minnesota is underscored by the fact that this trade came together. The Dodgers deemed Banda expendable and jettisoned him and his $1.625MM salary. The Twins, meanwhile, traded some actual value to acquire him and will now count him among the most reliable arms in a bullpen that was torn all the way down at last year’s trade deadline. Minnesota traded five relievers — Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe — dismantling what had been one of the league’s top relief units in order to scale back payroll and bring in some more controllable and affordable young talent in the process.

Where Banda was near the bottom of the pecking order in the L.A. bullpen, he now figures to be an option in high-leverage spots. That’s all the more true given his familiarity with new Twins skipper Derek Shelton, who managed Banda as a member of the Pirates back in 2021-22.

If Banda pans out in Minnesota, he can provide value to the Twins for multiple seasons. He currently has 4.135 years of MLB service, meaning he’ll be controllable through the 2027 season. He’ll be eligible for a raise in arbitration next winter, but his modest $1.625MM salary for the 2026 season means he won’t break the bank regardless of how well he pitches in what’ll be his debut campaign for Minnesota.

Banda joins the re-signed Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa and Cole Sands as the only members of the Twins’ bullpen with even three years of major league experience. The Twins also picked up righty Eric Orze in a small trade with the Rays early in the winter, and they got good work out of southpaw Kody Funderburk following that July fire sale in the bullpen (0.75 ERA, 28-to-10 K/BB ratio in 24 innings).

Veterans Liam Hendriks and Julian Merryweather joined up on minor league deals just yesterday and could factor into the group, as could any young starters who don’t crack a relatively crowded rotation picture. Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and out-of-options Simeon Woods Richardson all seem like rotation locks, health permitting. Former top prospects Taj Bradley, David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel are among the candidates who’ll vie for the fifth spot (and possibly the fourth, if Woods Richardson is outpitched and heads to the bullpen himself).

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll has been on the lookout for bullpen help throughout camp, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him further add to a perilously thin group of relievers in the days or weeks to come.

Kowar, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Mariners just eight days ago. The former first-round pick and top prospect has been derailed by injuries in his career but sits in the upper 90s with his four-seamer and sinker. He’s shown the ability to miss bats at times but struggles with sub-par command and too much hard contact allowed.

In parts of four MLB seasons (91 innings) between the Royals (his original club) and Mariners, the former Florida Gators star has been rocked for an 8.21 ERA. He posted a more palatable 4.24 ERA in 17 innings with Seattle last year, however, and notched a sharp 2.81 ERA in an additional 16 innings of Triple-A ball.

Kowar is out of minor league options. The Twins will hope to pass him through waivers and retain him as bullpen depth who’d be invited to big league camp and potentially stashed in the upper minors. If another club claims him, Kowar would need to stick on that team’s 40-man roster or else once again be exposed to waivers. The Twins can trade Kowar or place him on waivers at any point in the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so within a week’s time, we’ll know the outcome of Kowar’s DFA.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic first reported the trade and the Kowar DFA.

Dodgers Re-Sign Kiké Hernández

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1:10pm: The Dodgers have formally announced the deal. Phillips was indeed moved to the 60-day IL to open roster space.

12:06pm: The Dodgers are bringing Kiké Hernández back for the 2026 season. The utilityman first announced the agreement on social media. It’s a one-year, $4.5MM deal for the Wasserman client, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The Dodgers will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster once the signing is final, though they can do so by placing newly re-signed reliever Evan Phillips on the 60-day injured list.

Hernández has spent the past two and a half seasons in L.A. He sandwiched a few seasons in Boston in between but has spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers. Hernández was a high-end utility player earlier in his career, playing plus defense everywhere on the diamond while hitting left-handed pitching well. His offensive production has tailed off over the past few years, but the Dodgers love him as a clubhouse presence and he remains a versatile defender.

The 34-year-old Hernández is coming off a .203/.255/.366 showing across 256 regular season plate appearances. He popped 10 home runs in 93 games but struck out at a career-high 26.6% clip. Since returning to L.A. at the 2023 trade deadline, he’s a .228/.279/.382 hitter in a little over 800 trips to the plate. His .220/.278/.393 line against left-handed pitching is well below what he did against southpaws earlier in his career.

Hernández does have a strong postseason track record, compiling an .826 OPS over 103 games in October. That didn’t really materialize last season, when he hit .250/.290/.359 with one homer in 69 plate appearances. He nevertheless clearly had the trust of skipper Dave Roberts, who penciled Hernández into the lineup for every game of their World Series run. He played mostly left field as the Dodgers lost faith in the slumping Andy Pages. That ended in triumph with the third World Series of his career, as he was also part of the 2020 and ’24 clubs.

There’s no room in the starting lineup entering the season. They signed Kyle Tucker to play right field, pushing Teoscar Hernández to left. Kiké Hernández can take some center field reps but hasn’t been a regular there since 2022. That’ll probably fall to Pages and potentially Tommy Edman, depending on how the Dodgers feel about him covering a lot of ground coming off ankle surgery. Hernández will available off the bench and can take a few at-bats from Max Muncy at third base against left-handed pitching. He’ll offer a more defensively minded alternative to Teoscar Hernández as a late-game substitute.

Hernández and Miguel Rojas are locks for bench roles, as is a backup catcher (very likely Dalton Rushing). That’d leave one spot which will probably go to Hyeseong Kim if Edman is ready for Opening Day. Should Edman require an IL stint, Kim will draw in at second base and there’d be one spot available for Alex Call, Ryan Ward or Alex Freeland.

The Dodgers are taxed at a 110% rate as third-time payor with a CBT number above $304MM. RosterResource calculates their luxury tax payroll above $400MM. The Hernández signing will cost them $9.45MM between his salary and the accompanying $4.95MM tax bill.

Image courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images.

Dodgers, Max Muncy Agree To Extension

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The Dodgers announced Thursday that they’ve agreed to a one-year contract extension with third baseman Max Muncy. He’s now guaranteed an additional $10MM in the form of a $7MM salary in 2027 and a $3MM buyout on a $10MM club option for the 2028 campaign. Muncy is repped by Hub Sports Management.

As can be seen in a quick look at MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, this is the fourth extension of the past six years between the two parties. Muncy signed a three-year. $26MM contract covering his arbitration years back in 2020 and gave up control over his first free-agent season via a club option in that process. In Aug. 2022, he agreed to a new deal that saw his 2023 club option picked up in advance, with the Dodgers tacking on another year of control via a club option for the 2024 season. Following the 2023 campaign, the Dodgers renegotiated a two-year, $24MM deal with a $10MM club option for the 2026 season, which the club exercised back in November.

The new deal now covers Muncy’s age-36 season (2027) and gives the Dodgers a net $7MM decision on his age-37 campaign. With this contract, he’s effectively locked into spending an entire decade with L.A., as he made his Dodgers debut in 2018 after being cut loose by the A’s and signing a minor league deal.

Muncy will go down as one of the best minor league pickups in recent memory. He immediately broke out in Los Angeles, slashing .263/.391/.582 with 35 home runs in his debut Dodger campaign. He’s been a well above-average offensive performer in each of his eight seasons with L.A. so far, save for the 2020 campaign when his .192/.331/.398 slash checked in a bit shy of average overall (98 wRC+).

Injuries have hobbled Muncy in recent seasons, but he’s remained a threat in the batter’s box whenever healthy. He was limited to 100 games last season thanks to a bone bruise in his knee and an oblique strain, but Muncy still delivered a .243/.376/.470 slash with 19 home runs and a massive (career-high) 16.5% walk rate in the 388 plate appearances he was able to take. He’s averaged just 111 games per season over the past four years and regularly hits for a low average, but his impeccable patience and well above-average power continue to make him a productive player.

Muncy will reach 10 years of major league service on the 145th day of the 2026 season. At that point, he’ll gain 10-and-5 rights (10 years of service, the past five with the same team), granting him full veto rights over any potential trade scenario. Today’s extension all but locks him into third base at Dodger Stadium for the next two seasons. Muncy hasn’t been an option at second base in years now, and across the infield Freddie Freeman is signed through the 2027 season. Shohei Ohtani, of course, will continue to take the team’s at-bats at designated hitter.

Muncy’s glovework has always drawn mixed reviews, and that’s been no different in recent seasons. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him as an above-average third baseman in each of the past two seasons, while Statcast felt he was average in 2024 and a fair bit below average in 2025. The Dodgers, clearly, are comfortable with any defensive concessions they’ll need to make to keep Muncy’s perpetually excellent on-base percentage and plus power in the lineup — at least against right-handed pitching.

While Muncy crushed fellow lefties early in his career, his numbers in left-on-left matchups have gone south recently. He still held his own against southpaws in 2024 but was well below average in 2023 and again in 2025, when he hit just .157/.250/.314 in 80 plate appearances. Platoon options at third base for the Dodgers include veteran Miguel Rojas and switch-hitting top infield prospect Alex Freeland.

Dodgers Re-Sign Evan Phillips, Designate Ben Rortvedt

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The Dodgers announced Wednesday that they’ve re-signed reliever Evan Phillips to a one-year deal worth $6.5MM. Catcher Ben Rortvedt was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Phillips, a client of Apex Baseball, was non-tendered by the Dodgers in November after undergoing Tommy John surgery late last May but will return on a new one-year deal.

Phillips, 31, came to the Dodgers via a 2021 waiver claim out of the Rays organization. He pitched well enough down the stretch in ’21 to stick on the roster throughout that offseason, but Phillips didn’t immediately look like a waiver heist in the initial months following his claim.

That changed in 2022. A then-27-year-old Phillips erupted for 63 innings with a microscopic 1.14 ERA. He set down 33% of opponents on strikes and walked only 6.4% of the batters he faced, averaging better than 96 mph on his four-seamer and sinker alike. Phillips picked up 19 holds that year, but by 2023 he’d stepped into the closer’s role in L.A. — a job he handled with aplomb. Phillips turned in another dominant season, recording a 2.05 ERA with 24 saves, six holds, a 28.2% strikeout rate and a 5.6% walk rate.

For three full seasons from 2022-24, Phillips was a wipeout late-inning reliever. He combined for a 2.21 ERA with 44 saves, 34 holds and only nine blown saves, whiffing 29.6% of opponents with a 6.5% walk rate. His 2025 campaign got out to a strong start as well, with 5 2/3 shutout frames and six strikeouts. Phillips hit the injured list early in the year, however, and by late May the team announced that he’d require Tommy John procedure, sidelining him for what’ll likely be 13 to 14 months.

Phillips figures to aim for a return around the All-Star break, give or take a couple weeks. If he’s able to do so, he’ll be a prominent midseason boon to the bullpen — effectively the same as picking up a prominent reliever ahead of the trade deadline. There’s risk in any pitcher coming back from major surgery, but if it works out, he’ll be healthy for October, which has been the Dodgers’ primary concern (relative to the regular season) with all their higher-end pitchers in recent seasons.

The Dodgers are an annual luxury tax payor and are well into the top bracket of penalization. Phillips will come with the maximum 110% tax on his salary, meaning he’ll cost the Dodgers $13.65MM overall. It’s a steep price to pay, particularly relative to the risk, but the Dodgers’ spending knows virtually no bounds.

As for Rortvedt, he’ll likely head back to the waiver wire on the heels of his latest DFA. He ended the season on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster and quickly inked a $1.25MM deal to avoid arbitration. The Dodgers then placed him on waivers, hoping he’d clear and could then be stashed in Triple-A Oklahoma City as upper-level depth. Ideally, the $1.25MM salary would’ve dissuaded other clubs from claiming him while also giving Rortvedt a reason to accept the minor league assignment; he has enough service time to reject an outright in favor of free agency but not enough to do so while retaining his guaranteed salary.

The Reds scooped Rortvedt up anyhow and carried him on the 40-man roster for much of the offseason. When he was designated for assignment earlier this month, the Dodgers placed a claim to bring Rortvedt back to the organization. They’ll now hope to pass him through waivers, as they initially planned.

It’s easy to see why clubs would be happy to have the out-of-options Rortvedt in the upper minors but might be wary of carrying him on the big league roster. He’s a plus defender behind the plate whose keen eye typically lends itself to strong walk rates. Rortvedt is strikeout-prone and consistently hits for a low average, however, and he has little in the way of in-game power. He’s a career .190/.279/.270 hitter in 633 MLB plate appearances and a .239/.328/.412 hitter in 574 Triple-A plate appearances.

The Dodgers can trade Rortvedt or place him on waivers at any point within the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so his DFA will be resolved within a maximum of one week.

Dodgers Sign Seby Zavala, Jordan Weems To Minor League Deals

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The Dodgers announced their full slate of 32 non-roster invitees to Spring Training. The majority of the group are from the farm system or playing on minor league contracts that had already been reported, but the team revealed a couple unknown names who evidently signed minor league deals. Catcher Seby Zavala and reliever Jordan Weems are among those in camp, according to the team.

Weems, 33, is a righty who has pitched in MLB in six consecutive seasons. He was limited to four appearances with the Astros last year, allowing seven runs across 4 1/3 innings. That brought his career earned run average to 5.51 over 160 frames. Weems spent the majority of the season between the Triple-A clubs of the Astros and Braves, pitching to a 4.44 ERA in 46 2/3 innings. He struck out a solid 24% of batters faced with an elevated 11.2% walk rate.

Zavala is a right-handed hitting catcher who joins Chuckie Robinson as non-roster backstops who have MLB experience. The 32-year-old is a glove-only depth type who owns a .205/.271/.342 line in 194 career games. Zavala spent last season in Triple-A with the Red Sox, limping to a .164/.273/.333 line while striking out 36% of the time.

The Dodgers recently re-claimed Ben Rortvedt from Cincinnati. He’s out of options and trying to win the backup job behind Will Smith, though second-year player Dalton Rushing enters camp as the favorite for that spot. There’s a decent chance the Dodgers lose Rortvedt again if he doesn’t break camp and needs to go on waivers, which would leave Zavala and Robinson as their most experienced third catching options.

Also receiving non-roster invites are relievers Wyatt Mills, Carlos Duran and Antoine Kelly. Mills, who posted a 6.21 ERA in 38 appearances with the Mariners and Royals between 2021-22, signed a minor league deal last August but was assigned to the complex and did not pitch in an affiliated game. He remains in the organization, as does former #2 overall pick Nick Senzel. The infielder signed a minor league contract last May and hit .252/.341/.408 at Triple-A Oklahoma City. It seems that was a two-year minor league deal, as Senzel did not elect free agency at season’s end and will be in camp.

Duran and Kelly were early offseason signees. They’re power arms who’ll serve as bullpen depth. Duran spent the majority of his career in the L.A. system but was traded to the A’s last April for Esteury Ruiz. He made his MLB debut with the A’s last May but gave up three runs to the Angels while recording one out. The 6’7″ righty walked almost 19% of Triple-A opponents last year. Kelly is a 6’5″ lefty with a 96-97 MPH heater but untenable command. He walked 14% of batters faced while posting a 5.63 ERA in 34 games for the Rockies’ top affiliate a year ago.

Dodgers Hire Michael Hermosillo, David Dahl As Minor League Coaches

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The Dodgers announced their minor league coaching staffs on Thursday, with two recently-retired MLB players joining the ranks.  David Dahl is joining the Triple-A Oklahoma City staff as an outfield coach and assistant hitting coach, while Michael Hermosillo will be an outfield and baserunning coach for the high-A ball Great Lakes Loons.

In Hermosillo’s case, the news seems to act as a retirement announcement for the former outfielder, who just turned 31 last month.  Hermosillo hasn’t played anywhere since suiting up in the Mexican Winter League during the 2023-24 offseason, and his last taste of affiliated ball came in the form of 66 games with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023.

A 28th-round pick for the Angels in the 2013 draft, Hermosillo spent his first three (2018-20) big league seasons in a Halos uniform.  The Angels outrighted Hermosillo following the 2020 campaign, and after signing with the Cubs, Hermosillo made 47 appearances for Chicago over the next two seasons.  All in all, Hermosillo hit .167/.268/.283 over 229 Major League plate appearances.

While not considered a top prospect during his time in the minors, Hermosillo got himself onto the radar with some strong numbers on the farm, including a .262/.355/.492 slash line, 56 home runs, and 42 steals (in 59 tries) over 1194 PA at the Triple-A level.  Between his speed and all-fields ability in the outfield, Hermosillo seems well-suited to impart his wisdom with the next generation of Dodgers prospects.  We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Hermosillo on his career achievements, and we wish him in the best in his coaching endeavors.

Dahl announced his retirement in December, officially closing the door on a career that included seven MLB seasons and an All-Star nod in 2019 during his time with the Rockies.  This coaching gig is Dahl’s second stint in the Dodgers organization, as he signed a minor league deal with the team in June 2023 that didn’t result in any big league playing time, but Dahl did play in 54 games with Oklahoma City.

Dodgers Designate Anthony Banda For Assignment

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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.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Dodgers Claim Ben Rortvedt

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The Reds announced that catcher Ben Rortvedt has been claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. Cincinnati designated him for assignment when they signed Eugenio Suárez earlier this week. The Dodgers have a full 40-man roster and will need to open a spot for Rortvedt.

The Dodgers clearly like Rortvedt as a depth catcher. They acquired him at last year’s deadline and he got some playing time down the stretch when Will Smith was hurt. After the season, he and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.25MM salary for 2026.

They then tried to sneak him through waivers, hoping that the salary would be enough to make other clubs pass, therefore allowing Rortvedt be in the minors as non-roster depth. They tried a similar move with infielder Andy Ibáñez, signing him to a $1.2MM deal and then putting him on the wire. It didn’t work in either case. The Reds claimed Rortvedt in November and the Athletics claimed Ibáñez today.

The Dodgers are taking this chance to bring Rortvedt back again. For now, he appears to be the clear #3 catcher behind Smith and Dalton Rushing. They could option Rushing to the minors but seemingly don’t think he has anything left to prove there, which is why they called him up last year and moved on from Austin Barnes.

Assuming Rortvedt is indeed third on the chart, he could be bound for the waiver wire again in the future. He is out of options and would have to be nudged off the 40-man if he’s not going to be on the active roster.

Time will tell how that plays out. For now, he’s back with the champs. His performance has been up and down in recent years. With the Rays in 2024, he posted a .228/.317/.303 line in 328 plate appearances. His 87 wRC+ indicated he was 13% below league average but that’s not bad for a part-time catcher. Thanks to some solid defense, FanGraphs credited him with 1.4 wins above replacement in that role.

Things turned sour in 2025. He slashed .095/.186/.111 and got outrighted to the minors. As mentioned, he was traded to the Dodgers and got some time filling in for Smith. In his 58 plate appearances, he hit .224/.309/.327, somewhat similar to his 2024 production. Teams clearly view him as a useful depth catcher but what remains to be seen is if he can hold onto a roster spot or if he can be passed through waivers.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Athletics Claim Andy Ibañez

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The A’s have claimed infielder/outfielder Andy Ibañez off waivers from the Dodgers, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reports. Los Angeles signed Ibañez to a one-year, $1.2MM deal last month and then tried to pass him through waivers in order to stash him in Triple-A as a depth option. Instead, the A’s will pick up that $1.2MM bill and add the versatile lefty masher to their infield mix.

Ibañez, 32, is out of minor league options, so when the Dodgers signed him to a low-cost deal despite a crowded infield/bench group, it always seemed possible that they could try to sneak him through outright waivers to keep him as non-roster depth. Ibañez doesn’t have the service time needed to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and retain any guaranteed money on his contract, so if he’d passed through waivers he would surely have accepted the assignment.

That won’t be the case. He’ll now head north to West Sacramento and call the Athletics’ hitter-friendly temporary digs at Sutter Health Park his home park. The A’s don’t have a clear answer at third base, so Ibañez will compete for at-bats there while also providing a credible backup around the diamond.

In parts of five major league seasons, Ibañez is a .254/.304/.389 hitter. That includes sub-par work in right-on-right situations, but he’s feasted on lefties, hitting them at a .280/.372/.452 clip. He’ll compete with Darell Hernaiz, Brett Harris, Max Schuemann and (the other) Max Muncy for time at third base, but Ibañez has 5300 professional innings at second base, 724 at first base, 242 at shortstop and 186 in the outfield corners. He’s also the only member of that group of infield candidates who is out of minor league options, so he’s very likely to crack the Athletics’ Opening Day roster.

It’s still possible the A’s will make another move to bring in a third baseman. They had an agreement in place to acquire Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals, but Arenado (who had a full no-trade clause) preferred to go to the D-backs, with whom St. Louis had also been negotiating. There aren’t many third base options left on the market, but someone like Luis Rengifo might feel Sutter Health Park is a good place to try to rebound. The trade market also still has a few viable options (e.g. Mark Vientos, Alec Bohm), and any number of less-proven names could find themselves on waivers this spring as teams make final tweaks to their rosters.

Ibañez has 3.133 years of major league service time, making him controllable via arbitration for another three seasons. He’ll need to rebound from last year’s down showing at the plate for the A’s to keep him around long term, but he’s landed in a better hitters’ environment with a club that has a clearer path to playing time than he’d have had in Los Angeles.

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