The Los Angeles Dodgers extended their offseason whirlwind Sunday by agreeing to terms with left-handed closer Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million contract. Scott, 30, was 9-6 with a 1.74 ERA in 72 games last season for the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres. In eight major league seasons with the Orioles, Marlins, and Padres, he has a 31-24 record, 3.56 ERA, and 55 saves.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com was the first to report the news on Sunday on X. Scott was likely the greatest relief pitcher available on a slow-developing free-agent market this offseason. Before the Milwaukee Brewers traded Devin Williams to the New York Yankees in December, the Dodgers pursued the right-handed closer. According to North Side Baseball, the Cubs offered Scott a multi-year contract worth more than the $43 million, three-year deal given to right-handed closer Craig Kimbrel in June 2019. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Toronto Blue Jays were also looking to sign Scott. Scott eventually made his way to Los Angeles, two days after the Dodgers won the bid for Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.
The Blue Jays were also finalists for Sasaki. Scott got 18 of his 22 saves for the Marlins last season, punching out 53 batters over 45.2 innings. That earned him a spot on the National League All-Star team for the first time in July, as well as being one of the most sought-after players at the trade deadline two weeks later. Scott was on the Dodgers’ trading block before being sent to the San Diego Padres for reliever Bryan Hoeing and four minor league players.
Scott was the primary setup man for the Padres’ closer, Robert Suarez. He was 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA in 28 games following the move, striking out 31 and walking nine in 26.1 innings. Scott started his career in Baltimore. From 2017 to 2021, he went 9-8 with a 4.73 ERA in 170 games, striking out 208 batters in 156 innings with the Orioles. More news: MLB Power Rankings: The Top 10 Relief Pitchers The Dodgers started the season with Evan Phillips as their primary closer.
When they did not acquire Scott by the 2024 trade deadline, they instead acquired Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox. Following the deal, the right-handed pitcher went 4-0 with six saves in 24 games. Blake Treinen, a right-handed pitcher, made three saves in the postseason as the Dodgers claimed their ninth World Series title. Scott, Treinen, Kopech, and Phillips might all be in line for saves in 2025 if the Dodgers stick with their committee style in the ninth inning. F
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