You didn’t think the Dodgers were done, did you?
Just a few days after adding Roki Sasaki among a slew of other moves this offseason, Los Angeles made a significant addition to bolster their bullpen Sunday morning.
Closer Tanner Scott and the Los Angeles Dodgers in agreement on a four-year, $72 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Scott, 30, was the best free agent reliever available this winter and got paid an elite amount as part of a deep Dodgers bullpen. @Feinsand was on the news.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 19, 2025
Let’s take a look at what Scott brings to the Dodgers, and his potential fantasy upside for the 2025 campaign.
What did Scott do the last two years to make him so coveted?
A few seasons ago, Scott getting this kind of contract would be almost impossible to imagine. A sixth-round pick in 2014 out of Howard College in Texas by the Orioles, the left-hander made 237 appearances for the Orioles from 2017-2021 with a 4.73 ERA, and while there were things to like — more on that in a second — there wasn’t much reason to believe that he was on his way to becoming an elite option.
And yet, that’s exactly what he’s been over the last two years. Scott joined Miami in 2022 in a trade just before the start of the season, and after a pedestrian season with the Fish that saw him procure a 4.37 ERA, but he saved 20 games while striking out 90 hitters in just under 65 innings. The big jump came in 2023, however, and over the last two seasons Scott has struck out 188 batters in 150 innings, saved 34 games and posted a miniscule 2.04 ERA in the process. That save total is hurt by a move to San Diego last summer where he worked as a set-up man rather than a stopper, but a 2.23 ERA and 31/9 K/BB shows that he was doing quality work in the Gaslamp District.
Simplified, Scott has gone from hard-throwing reliever you can’t trust to one of the best high-leverage arms in the sport, and it’s no surprise that so many teams were attempting to add him to their bullpen.
What are the strengths of Scott’s profile?
Scott has always thrown hard. Really, really hard. He averaged 97 mph with his fastball in 2024, and that offering will routinely get into triple digits. He complements that pitch with a slider, and he has nearly an even 60/40 split between the two offerings. He also threw exactly one change up last year, and it didn’t go very well.
But, to say the fastball/slider combination gives hitters trouble is quite the understatement. Batter hit…