The Los Angeles Dodgers spent a massive amount of money in the offseason. One of the larger contracts they dished out was for former Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres reliever Tanner Scott. The Dodgers and Scott signed a four-year, $72 million contract.
Scott has struggled in Dodger blue, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts criticized Scott amid such a poor start. In an article from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Roberts shared his criticism of Scott amid his rough start to his Dodgers tenure.
“I think,” Roberts said, “performance-wise, he hasn’t performed the way any of us expected, him included.”
The Dodgers’ closer was inked to a large deal, especially for a reliever. But, across his 27 games for the Dodgers, Scotts pitched 25.2 innings with a 4.56 ERA.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott (66) throws during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium.
Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
In his first season as a Dodgers closer, Scott has five blown saves. Across his previous two seasons, Scott had six blown saves. His struggles in closing out games have been apparent.
While he’s struggled, Scott still has shown flashes of being a good reliever. From April 1st until May 17th, across 17 games and 16.2 innings, Scott had a 0.54 ERA and 17 strikeouts to go with 8 saves. But since May 17th, Scott has a 16.20 ERA and three blown saves.
Robert’s criticism of Scott is warranted, especially after the Dodgers spent so much money on him. With how dominant he looked in 2024, where he had a 1.75 ERA in 72 innings, the Dodgers’ version of Scott has been incredibly disappointing.
While Roberts has criticism for Scott, he also brings up how Scott himself acknowledges he’s been underperforming. While the 30-year-old has been underwhelming for the Dodgers, he still has time to rebound.
Scott has shown enough in 2024 and through parts of 2025 that he can rebound. But in the meantime, Roberts and Scott both see Scott’s performance as something unexpected.
