As if the Dodgers’ offseason couldn’t get any more exciting after the addition of Roki Sasaki on Friday, the Dodgers cleared another box off of their to-do checklist for the offseason.
The best left-handed relief pitcher available is off the board, as the Dodgers and Tanner Scott agreed to a four year deal worth $72 million on Sunday morning. The contract includes a $21 million signing bonus and $20 million in deferred money.
Alongside Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda, the acquisition of Scott now gives the Dodgers a dangerous trifecta of hard throwing left-handed relievers.
Let’s take a look at some reactions to Scott signing with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers were linked to Scott throughout the offseason and made it a priority to sign a high end reliever even after bringing back Blake Treinen. The Dodgers had a backup plan if they were unable to nab Scott, notes Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, as the team had discussions with right-handed reliever and 2024 All Star Kirby Yates.
While they had liked Scott since early in the offseason, they were also evaluating other relievers remaining on the free agent market, including discussions with veteran All-Star right-hander Kirby Yates, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.
Several American League East teams were interested in adding Scott to their bullpen, as the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox were all in the mix for the left-hander, and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that the Chicago Cubs were also in contention.
The Chicago Cubs were also in the mix to land Scott, a league source said. But less than two days after signing highly-coveted Japanese righty Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers once again signaled their intention to become baseball’s first repeat title winners in 25 years, despite a competitive balance tax figure that continues to swell.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com notes that the Cubs were the runner-ups in the sweepstakes, as they proposed a four year deal worth $66 million before Scott signed with the Dodgers.
Andrew Crane of the New York Post reported that the New York Mets were interested in adding Scott to their bullpen, but pulled out once they struck a two year, $22 million deal with former Atlanta Braves left-handed reliever A.J. Minter.
The Mets were unlikely to continue pursuing Scott as another high-leverage arm to pair with Edwin Diaz after securing Minter, who is also a left-hander. So instead, he ended up with a Los Angeles team that ended the Mets’ unexpected postseason run in the NLCS.
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