New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) dives into first base to try to beat the throw from Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) to pitcher Anthony Banda (43) during the second inning in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 30, 2024. Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Dodgers Pitcher Considered Retirement in Offseason Before Coming to LA

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:15 PM ET

Dodgers pitcher Anthony Banda pitched for seven teams over parts of seven major league seasons before he joined the Dodgers in May 2024.

On the surface, it would seem that finding employment has never been an issue for the 32-year-old left-hander. Yet Banda had few assurances heading into the 2024 season. He wasn't even sure he wanted to continue his baseball career.

Banda made that stunning revelation in a conversation with Matt Hannaford, his agent and the president and CEO at Alignd Sports Agency, in a recent episode of the "Most Valuable Agent" podcast.

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What motivated Banda to push through his pessimism?

A YouTube video, of all things, that had nothing to do with baseball.

“I was watching these people turn a van into like a camping van, or like a mini-house," he recalled. "It was so intriguing. It wasn’t the finished product that was intriguing to me. It was more the process of it. I found actual enjoyment of that. I was like … ‘If I can find enjoyment out of this, I know I can find enjoyment out of baseball.”

Still, there was little interest among big league teams in signing Banda, Hannaford said, until he threw for scouts at the Tread Athletics complex in North Carolina. Even then, Banda had to settle for a two-way contract with the Guardians in January 2024.

The contract included an upward mobility clause, Hannaford explained. If Banda was not promoted to the Guardians' major league roster by May 19, he could leave for any team that was willing to offer him a 26-man roster spot.

Banda had a 2.12 ERA, 0.941 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 17 innings at Triple-A Columbus. The Dodgers pounced. The rest is history.

To Banda's credit, he has made the most of his opportunity in Los Angeles by being healthy and mostly effective — a rare combination among Dodgers relievers. But he might not be here without a combination of persistence, luck, and one converted camping van.