The Los Angeles Dodgers have been busy this winter, but there are still moves to be made this offseason.
Two of the Dodgers’ biggest needs remain with the pitching staff — which is almost always the area of need for the team — in terms of a reliever and another starting pitcher.
The Dodgers were originally linked to changeup specialist Devin Williams, but he was traded to the New York Yankees in a surprising move. Even Williams was surprised to learn he had been traded to the Bombers, instead of the Dodgers.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think so. I kinda thought I’d be going to L.A,” Williams said. “That’s what I was being told.”
Lo and behold, things are true until they’re not in the offseason. Once it was clear the Dodgers lost out on Williams, the reigning World Series champions were quickly linked to All-Star reliever Tanner Scott.
As the Dodgers continued their search for another high-leverage arm in the bullpen, signing Scott seemed like the best move. Scott produced a 1.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 72 innings in 2024.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly has Scott going to the Toronto Blue Jays, not the Dodgers, this offseason.
“B/R originally predicted a three-year, $48 million deal for Tanner Scott at the beginning of the offseason, with skepticism that just because he was the top reliever available this offseason that meant he would get four years,” Kelly wrote. “We’ll stick with three years for Scott, and given how little buzz there’s been on the relief market overall, he may not even get quite as much overall as initially anticipated.
“The Blue Jays are a team that’s being linked with pretty much every notable free agent right now, but Scott makes a ton of sense for them. They had a 4.82 bullpen ERA last season, the second-worst mark in baseball. The aforementioned Romano was non-tendered and left to sign with the Phillies. Whether it’s as Toronto’s closer or the team’s top setup man, the Blue Jays just need to add quality arms to repair the back end of their bullpen.”
Losing out on Scott would pose a challenge for the Dodgers, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the goal is to have a complete roster by spring training.
“My goal is to not buy in July,” Friedman said this offseason. “I am setting that out there right now. My goal is to do everything we can right now to not buy in July. It is terrible.”
