The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a four-year, $72 million contract with reliever Tanner Scott on Thursday. This deal brings the team’s offseason spending to $452 million on eight players.
Scott, a left-handed pitcher, made his first All-Star appearance last season. He finished with a 9-6 record, a 1.75 ERA, and 22 saves in 24 opportunities. Scott played for both Miami and San Diego in 2023, joining the Padres on July 30. In 72 innings, he struck out 84 batters and walked 36.
Scott expressed his excitement during his introduction at Dodger Stadium, saying, “It’s going to be a really exciting year. There’s a great group of guys. They keep adding people and it’s awesome to see and I’m ready to be a part of it. Whenever the (bullpen) phone rings, I’m ready to go. I just want to win.”
Scott’s Career Stats
At 30 years old, Scott has a career record of 31-24 with a 3.56 ERA and 55 saves. He has played for Baltimore (2017-21), Miami (2022-24), and San Diego. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes mentioned that the team had long admired Scott, saying, “He’s someone that we have watched and admired from afar over the years and have tried to acquire multiple times, even last year as well and we failed to do so.”
Dodgers’ Offseason Spending
After winning their second World Series title in five years, the Dodgers made several key moves. They signed utilityman Tommy Edman to a $74 million, five-year contract, outfielder Teoscar Hernández to a $66 million, three-year deal, and right-hander Blake Treinen to a $22 million, two-year deal.
In addition to Scott, the Dodgers added left-hander Blake Snell ($182 million for five years), outfielder Michael Conforto ($17 million for one season), second baseman Hyeseong Kim ($12.5 million for three years), and right-hander Roki Sasaki (minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus).
Dodgers’ Strategic Approach
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, explained the team’s approach for the offseason: “Going into this offseason it was ‘Let’s do everything we can on the front end. Let’s be as aggressive as we can and be in a position where we don’t have to go to market in July.’”
Big Investments by the Dodgers
During the 2023-24 offseason, the Dodgers committed over $1.3 billion to five players, including two-way star Shohei Ohtani ($700 million for 10 years), right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million for 12 years) and Tyler Glasnow ($136.56 million for five years), Hernández ($23.5 million for one year), and catcher Will Smith ($140 million for 10 years).
The Dodgers also owed release fees to Japanese clubs, amounting to $50,625,000 for Yamamoto and $1,625,000 for Sasaki.
