FORT MYERS, Fla. — In the days after agreeing to a deal with reliever Taylor Rogers late last month, Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll vowed to continue strengthening a bullpen that was broken apart at last year’s trade deadline.
Thursday, the Twins did just that, officially adding a two-time World Series champion and a three-time all-star to the bullpen mix as they traded for Anthony Banda and signed Liam Hendriks to a minor league deal. They also agreed to a minor league deal with Julian Merryweather as another bullpen option.
Chicago White Sox’s Liam Hendriks smiles as he talks to reporters before a baseball game between the White Sox and the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“What I love that JZ has continued to do, and will continue to do, is we’re going to add pieces and then we’re going to find how the dominos fall,” manager Derek Shelton said.
With a stacked bullpen, the Dodgers designated Banda, 32, for assignment last week. The Twins picked him up on Thursday in exchange for international bonus pool money.
The left-hander has bounced around over the past nine seasons, playing for eight different teams including Pittsburgh while Shelton was managing there. Banda had a 3.18 earned-run average in 65 innings last season with the Dodgers, appearing primarily in the sixth and seventh innings.
“He’s got really good stuff. I’m excited to be able to add him in,” Shelton said. “He’s a bulldog and he’s not afraid of taking the ball.”
Banda joins a group that includes fellow southpaws Rogers and Kody Funderburk, who had a strong finish to last season. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Twins designated reliever Jackson Kowar, whom they added earlier this month off waivers, for assignment.
Hendriks, 37, began his journey with the Twins in 2007 when he signed as an international free agent out of Australia. He debuted in Minnesota in 2011, working as a starter before the Twins ultimately designated him for assignment. Hendriks is now a 14-year major league veteran who was once among the best closers in the game, but in recent years has dealt with a cancer diagnosis and hip and elbow injuries.
“Everything’s been positive. He’s healthy and he’s in a situation where he’s coming into camp to compete. I’m excited,” Shelton said. “When you’re able to add a guy of his pedigree — and he’s pitched at the back half of the game — I’m excited to get him in camp and get a look at him.”
Hendriks adds a veteran presence with late-inning experience but has thrown fewer than 20 combined major league innings over the past three seasons.
The Australian pitched in just 14 games last season, posting a 6.59 earned-run average. He dealt with a hip injury and then required right elbow ulnar nerve transposition surgery in late September. That surgery came nearly two years after he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which forced him to miss the entire 2024 season.
“(He’s a) veteran guy that people speak so highly of in the game in terms of who he is as a human being,” Shelton said. “Obviously, he’s had some challenges in his life over the last couple years. Just talking about the person, (we’re) excited to add him into that group.”