The Los Angeles Dodgers made two trades over the last four days, acquiring a pair of relief pitchers in exchange for cash from the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians.
The Dodgers acquired right-hander Yohan Ramirez from the Mets on Monday, per Eric Stephen. Ramirez was designated for assignment on May 15.
The 29-year-old made his MLB debut in 2020 and has bounced around the league since. The Dodgers will be his third team in 2024 alone. Ramirez began the season with the Mets but was designated for assignment in early April before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles.
His Orioles tenure lasted three weeks and he was DFA'd once again. The Mets claimed him off waivers on May 6 only to DFA him nine days later.
Ramirez has an 0-1 record with a 6.91 ERA in 10 relief appearances this season. Overall he has a 4.29 ERA across 112 games in his MLB career.
The Dodgers have to make a corresponding move to add him to the 40-man roster and he is out of minor league options, meaning he'll have to pass through waivers if the Dodgers decide to demote him.
Dodgers add veteran lefty from Guardians
Along with Yohan Ramirez, the Dodgers scooped up 30-year-old Anthony Banda from the Guardians on May 17 under similar circumstances, per Joe Noga.
Banda signed a minor league contract with Cleveland in January and was sent to Triple-A after struggling during major league spring training. He pitched well in the minors, posting a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings for the Columbus Clippers, including one save. He struck out 25 batters compared to six walks across 12 appearances.
The Dodgers promoted Banda to the big leagues two days after the trade. He tossed a scoreless 10th inning on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, earning his first MLB win since May 2022 after Shohei Ohtani's walk-off single.
The Dodgers are the sixth team Banda has pitched for in the MLB since 2021. He sports a career 5.64 ERA in 91 games at the big league level, with six starts under his belt. He made his debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017, five years after being drafted in the 10th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
LA already pulling away in NL West race
Not even two months into the season, the Dodgers are more than seven games ahead for first place in the NL West standings. No other team in the division has a winning record and LA has a 10-7 record against teams in the division.
The Dodgers enter this week with a 32-17 record, only bested in the National League by the Philadelphia Phillies who own the best record in the MLB. Their upcoming schedule looks very appealing as well, with the next five series coming against teams who currently have a losing record.
This big of a lead in the division this early in the season is nothing new for the Dodgers. It is a nice luxury to have and the fact that they've been here before and faced virtually every scenario thrown their way over their decade of dominance in the division should have them ready for anything.
The Dodgers can’t get complacent with where they are and they likely won’t with the talent on the roster. LA is set for another fun summer of baseball with the Dodgers gearing up for what they expect to be a deep playoff run this October.
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