After Edwin Díaz’s struggles and injuries sidelined him, Tanner Scott stepped up and secured the closer role for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract on Jan. 19, 2025, expecting him to anchor the ninth inning.
Scott opened last season as the unquestioned closer, but by the end of May he had a 4.56 ERA in 25.2 innings and had blown five saves while converting 10.
By the time Los Angeles reached the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was not even on the roster.
Díaz wasn’t the answer
The Dodgers responded by signing Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract on Dec. 9, 2025.
Díaz entered 2026 as the undisputed closer, but injuries and poor performances have prevented him from establishing himself. He has spent more time on the Injured List than the active roster.
When Los Angeles placed Díaz on the 15-day Injured List with a neck injury Tuesday, he converted seven saves in 11 opportunities.
However, Díaz had surrendered 18 runs in 13.2 innings across 16 appearances, producing an 11.85 ERA and an almost-unfathomable 2.56 WHIP.
Scott’s resurgence
Meanwhile, Scott has rediscovered the form that the Dodgers originally paid for.
The left-hander has converted a team-leading 19 saves in 21 opportunities while posting a 2.28 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 52.1 innings over 56 appearances. He also has 12 holds.
Those numbers make him the most effective reliever, regardless of handedness, currently available to manager Dave Roberts.
Even so, Roberts was still reserving the ninth inning for Díaz during Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, his final appearance before returning to the Injured List.
Until Wednesday, there remained some uncertainty about whether Díaz would reclaim the closer role once healthy.
Roberts finally acknowledged that Scott has earned the job.
The Dodgers manager praised Scott’s fastball, which can sit between 96-98 mph when he is right, along with his slider.
More importantly, Roberts highlighted Scott’s ability to remain emotionally unaffected by circumstances and admitted there was a legitimate argument that he could have been the closer all along.
Roberts described Scott as the Dodgers’ best and most consistent reliever and indicated he views him as the team’s closer moving forward.
“When he’s right, his [fastball] is 96-98 [mph], and there is a really good slider in there,” Roberts said, according to Patrick Saunders from MLB.com.
“I think Tanner’s superpower is that he doesn’t really let things affect his emotions. You could argue that he could have been the closer; should have been the closer. Nothing affects him once he steps on the field. Right now, it’s easy to say he’s our best reliever and most consistent reliever, and I certainly see him as our closer.”
That decision fits a familiar pattern during Roberts’ tenure.
Whether dealing with Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Scott or Díaz, Roberts has generally preferred patience with struggling closers instead of immediately changing defined roles.
Scott technically never lost the closer title last season. He simply stopped receiving opportunities after Roki Sasaki moved into the bullpen.
An injury later removed Scott from the Dodgers’ National League Division Series roster against the Philadelphia Phillies, and he never returned.
This season, the situation has reversed.
Scott’s upside
Scott’s greatest strength may be the emotional stability Roberts emphasized. Closing games requires a pitcher to recover quickly from failure and avoid allowing one difficult outing to affect the next opportunity.
His ability to handle both traditional ninth-inning work and other high-leverage assignments also gives Los Angeles flexibility.
Scott combines power with a strong slider and the temperament necessary for the final outs of close games.
History appears to be repeating itself, except this time Scott is benefiting from another struggling reliever’s absence and has positioned himself to keep the closer role even when Díaz returns.
