Dodgers sign Tanner Scott

Dodgers and left-handed Tanner Scott are in agreement on a four-year, $72 million deal, according to a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Scott’s deal includes deferred money and a signing bonus. Robert Murray of FanSided reports the signing bonus is $20 million while the contract includes $21 million in deferred money.

Scott was ranked as the No. 14 free agent in this winter’s class in MLBTR’s annual Top 50 Free Agents list, where we predicted the left-hander would land a four-year, $56 million contract. His deal with Los Angeles is well above that mark, but that’s not necessarily surprising given reports earlier this month that indicated Scott could land a deal worth an average annual value in the range of 20 million dollars. Ultimately, this deal doesn’t go that far, although his $18 million AAV still represents a premium for his position. According to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, Scott is tied for third-most AAV for a reliever in free agent history, alongside Liam HendriksWhite Sox deal with pair trailing only Edwin Diaz And Josh Hader. Meanwhile, this is the fifth highest total guarantee a reliever has ever landed in free agency behind Diaz, Hader, Aroldis ChapmanAnd Kenley Jansen.

The $21 million in deferred money in the deal could drop the contract’s net present value below that elite level, but it’s hard to deny that Scott belongs in that elite company based on his incredible numbers over the past two seasons. He was among the best relievers in the sport last year with a 1.75 ERA, 2.92 FIP and 28.6% strikeout rate. His perimeter numbers were even stronger in 2023, as he struck out 33.9% of opponents and posted a 2.31 ERA with a 2.17 FIP. Among qualified relievers over the past two seasons, Scott ranks fourth in ERA and fifth in FIP. Only Felix Bautista Orioles and Cade Smith The Guardians rank above Scott in both categories, and neither pitched in the 2023 and ’24 seasons at the big league level.

Of course, this isn’t to say that Scott is necessarily completely infallible. The southpaw struggled mightily with his command earlier in his career, and those issues were a key factor in the southpaw’s decision to give up a 4.61 ERA and 3.91 FIP over his six first seasons in the majors. This left Scott without the long history of many of his peers in late-inning relief, and even last season Scott walked 12.2% of his opponents. Scott has managed to remain elite despite this high number of free passes by keeping the ball in the park over the past two seasons, and the changes he has made to improve his batted ball results appear to be lasting. Opponents hit 5.4% of their batted balls against Scott before the 2023 season, but the last two campaigns have seen that number drop to just 4.0%. Likewise, Scott’s hard hit rate has fallen from 36.2% in his career prior to 2023 to just 26.7% over the past two seasons.

The Dodgers are clearly banking on his performance to remain as elite as they have been over the past two seasons. Los Angeles closely observed Scott’s dominance in last season’s NLDS, when he pitched three scoreless innings against the Padres and collected five strikeouts, including four against Shohei Ohtani. Looking ahead to the 2025 season, they will add Scott’s high-octane arm to an already strong bullpen that also includes Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake TreinenAnd Alex Vesia at the end of the round. With Scott likely taking over as the club gets closer, the Dodgers will now have the opportunity to use those leverage arms earlier in the game. This is especially helpful in Vesia’s case, as he was the Dodgers’ only late-inning relief option on the left side last season.

According to RosterResource, Scott’s signing brought the Dodgers’ 2025 payroll to just under $369 million, with a nearly luxury tax-equivalent payroll of just under $371 million. Those numbers don’t account for deferred money in Scott’s contract, but it still puts the Dodgers’ 2025 payroll more than $40 million higher than 2024, which was already a franchise record. They are the only team to spend even $300 million on payroll this year, and one of three teams (alongside the Phillies and Yankees) whose payroll is above that threshold. The upper limit of the club’s salary capacity is unknown, but the signing of Scott (and Roki Sasaki last week) appear to have checked off the final boxes the Dodgers were looking to improve on this winter. While further roster upgrades certainly can’t be ruled out, the club’s roster has very little uncertainty and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Dodgers hold out in the final weeks before spring training, at -beyond perhaps a long-awaited agreement. pillar of the franchise Clayton Kershaw back in the fold.

With Scott off the market, right-handers Carlos Estévez And Kirby Yates are perhaps the two best options still available in free agency for clubs looking for bullpen help. Jansen, David Robertson, Kyle FinneganAnd Tommy Kahnle are among the other late-round backup weapons available. The Red Sox, Braves and Cubs were among the other teams that have been linked to Scott throughout the winter, while the Rangers and Diamondbacks are among other clubs known to be in the market for a late-inning relief help at this point in the offseason. .