When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million deal this offseason, they thought they were locking down one of baseball’s elite left-handed arms. After all, this was the same guy who struck out Shohei Ohtani four straight times in the 2024 NLDS. He also posted a sub-2.00 ERA over the past two seasons.
But the 2025 version of Tanner Scott has been anything but dominant. With a 4.62 ERA and five blown saves already—including three in his last five outings—Scott has looked more like a liability than a late-inning weapon.
Command Is Off, Confidence Looks Shaky
The issue isn’t just results—it’s the how. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior and manager Dave Roberts, who spoke yesterday with SportsNet LA, have both acknowledged that Scott’s inability to finish hitters is killing him. He’s getting into favorable counts but leaving sliders over the plate and getting punished.
“He’s missing in the zone—and not the right parts of the zone,” Prior told The Orange County Register, pointing out that Scott’s pitches have become more predictable and hittable.
Despite a similar strikeout rate to last season (28.3%), his whiff rate is down nearly five percentage points. Hitters are making more contact, and it’s harder contact. They are career highs in barrel rate (9.2%) and average exit velocity (91.6 mph).
Dodgers Go Shopping: Alexis Díaz Deal Speaks Volumes
It’s no coincidence that just as Scott’s ERA explodes, the Dodgers traded for former Reds closer Alexis Díaz. Though Díaz has struggled mightily this season—posting a 4.61 ERA in Triple-A with declining velocity—the Dodgers are hoping he can be rehabbed into a serviceable late-inning arm.
That’s not something you do if you believe your $72 million guy can fix it on his own.
According to ESPN, the Dodgers plan to send Díaz to their Arizona facility to “get right,” but the message is clear: they’re running out of patience and need help now. This bullpen, decimated by injuries to Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, and Kirby Yates, can’t afford many more blown leads.
Roberts Still Preaching Patience—But for How Long?
Roberts has tried to downplay the panic, saying Scott deserves “grace” early in his contract.
“I do think a guy that has taken the baseball deserves some grace in the infancy of his contract,” Roberts told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. “He’s not perfect. He’s never going to be perfect.”
But grace has a shelf life. And so do playoff hopes.
The Dodgers’ bullpen ERA has ballooned, and every close game now feels like a dice roll. That wasn’t supposed to be the case when they added a proven closer in Scott and strengthened the bridge to the ninth inning.
A Big Price Tag, Even Bigger Questions
The Dodgers signed Scott to avoid situations like this. Instead, he’s become one. And while some of his struggles can be chalked up to poor luck or weak contact sneaking through, his inability to finish hitters and generate whiffs when it counts is a major red flag.
In a postseason series, that’s the kind of problem that can end your year.
Right now, the Dodgers are betting they can buy time—literally—by patching the bullpen with a low-risk Díaz flyer. But what they need is the guy who made Shohei Ohtani look like a rookie. They don’t need the guy who is currently turning every ninth inning into chaos.
Unless Tanner Scott finds that guy again soon, the Dodgers’ $72 million bet may already be a bust.
