The Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered their bullpen with the signing of Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract that includes a reported $20 million signing bonus and $21 million in deferred money.
The left-hander is coming off an excellent year that saw him post a 1.75 ERA, 2.92 FIP and 1.13 WHIP across 72 innings for the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
Scott drew interest from several contenders but ultimately thought the Dodgers were the best fit for him. “They were the first ones to call, and me and my wife always talked about it,” Scott said during his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium.
“They’re not a fun team to face, especially one, two, three, it’s kind of unfair. But it’s awesome. I was really happy they made an offer. Thank you Andrew, thank you Brandon. You guys have been awesome. I know we’re ready to get another one and I’ll be a part of this one.”
Scott is among several high-profile players to sign with L.A. this offseason, joining Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers have become a desirable destination in recent years due to their culture, success and geographical location.
“California is beautiful, especially Los Angeles,” Scott explained when asked what attracted him to the Dodgers.
“Who doesn’t want to live here? Me and my wife are loving it right now and we can’t wait for the next four years. It’s going to be really exciting times and we hope that we just keep winning.”
Tanner Scott’s role with the Dodgers
Scott has recorded 54 saves since the 2022 season but he won’t necessarily be the Dodgers’ primary closer this year.
“I think throughout this process, having conversations with Danny (Lehmann), and going through Tanner, and obviously Doc (Dave Roberts) and Andrew (Friedman), I think Tanner is going to get a ton of opportunities to close games,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.
“But the biggest thing is how it all fits together to handle the backend. The main focus will be how best do we put together that bullpen down the stretch for Doc to figure out how he’s going to deploy guys, but we anticipate Tanner getting a lot of saves.”
Scott joins Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and potentially Kirby Yates, among others, as Dodgers pitchers with closing experience.
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