Fresh off adding prized Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers made an another move to massively upgrade their pitching staff, agreeing with left-handed reliever Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million contract, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Sunday. The team has not confirmed the deal.
Scott has been one of baseball’s most effective and filthiest relievers over the past two seasons. During that time split between the Marlins and Padres, the 30-year-old southpaw has sat in the 90th percentile or better in whiff rate (34.7%) and hard-hit rate (27.5%).
Batters hit just .134 with a .179 slugging percentage off Scott’s high-90s four-seamer last season; those averages ranked second and first, respectively, among the pitchers who threw a minimum of 300 four-seamers last year. Scott’s heater and hard, high-80s slider each get a couple more inches of vertical drop compared to similar four-seamers and sliders, which contributes to his impressive 51.2% ground-ball rate since the beginning of 2023.
A sixth-round pick by the Orioles in the 2014 Draft, Scott produced a 4.73 ERA and a .738 opponents’ OPS in five seasons coming out of Baltimore’s bullpen. He was dealt to Miami just before the start of the 2022 season and eventually became the team’s closer. He saved 20 games that year, but also recorded a 4.31 ERA. Scott walked 46 batters in 62 2/3 innings and had a pedestrian 29.1% chase rate.
The following season, that chase rate soared to 35.3%, which was third best in MLB (min. 500 out-of-zone pitches). Creating a tremendous amount of swing-and-miss and soft contact, Scott ended 2023 with a 2.31 ERA and a .527 opponents’ OPS. He was lights-out leading up to last season’s Trade Deadline, registering a 1.18 ERA over 45 2/3 innings before heading to the Padres in a six-player swap.
Scott finished the year by recording a 1.75 ERA and a scant 25.7 hard-hit rate after the trade. He also produced an 8.0% walk rate, a big improvement for Scott, who arrived in San Diego with a career walk rate of 13.0%, well above the league average.
Tanner Scott, Dodgers agree to contract
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an agreement with left-handed reliever Tanner Scott, according to sources. The deal is reportedly for two years with a club option for a third year.
Scott, 27, has been a solid bullpen arm for the Baltimore Orioles over the past few seasons, posting a 3.69 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 2021. He brings a power arm to the Dodgers’ bullpen, with a fastball that can reach triple digits and a devastating slider.
The addition of Scott gives the Dodgers another weapon in their already dominant bullpen, which includes the likes of Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen, and Joe Kelly. With Scott on board, the Dodgers are poised to have one of the strongest pitching staffs in all of baseball.
Stay tuned for more updates as the deal becomes official.
Tags:
tanner scott dodgers contract, tanner scott dodgers deal, tanner scott dodgers signing, tanner scott dodgers news, tanner scott dodgers rumors, tanner scott dodgers free agent, tanner scott dodgers trade, tanner scott dodgers pitcher, tanner scott dodgers mlb, tanner scott dodgers baseball
#Tanner #Scott #Dodgers #agree #contract #source