It has been nearly one year since the Los Angeles Dodgers tried to bolster their bullpen by giving reliever Tanner Scott a four-year, $72 million deal. Needless to say, his first year with the Dodgers did not work out as well as both parties hoped. 

Scott was brought in alongside Kirby Yates, who signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the club. Both struggled in the regular season and neither saw the mound in the Dodgers’ journey to their second-straight World Series title. The Yates experiment ended swiftly as the 38-year-old has moved across town to join the Los Angeles Angels, but there is still a chance for Scott. 

According to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, the Dodgers expect Scott to bounce back in 2026. 

“In landing the top free-agent reliever this offseason, the Dodgers are hoping they've created quite the 1-2 punch at the back end of the bullpen,” she wrote. “L.A. brought in closer Edwin Díaz on a three-year, $69 million deal during the Winter Meetings. The huge signing came after the first season of Tanner Scott's four-year, $72 million contract -- which was marred by underperformance and injuries.” 

“At its core, the Díaz deal is a reaction to Scott's down year and the tough season the L.A. bullpen had as a unit. But it's not an indication that the Dodgers no longer count Scott among their top leverage arms. On the contrary, they are optimistic that Scott will bounce back in 2026.” 

Scott appeared in 61 games for the Dodgers last season; going 1-4 with a 4.74 ERA and 10 blown saves in 57 innings of work. Chen reported that the Dodgers believe that Scott was dealing with more injury struggles than he was letting on, and a procedure to address a lower body abscess took him off the NLDS roster and ended his postseason before he could ever see the hill. 

“There were moments where it looked right; he felt OK, but he just never felt comfortable," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "But he's never going to use that as an excuse, though. To have a regular offseason, to kind of prepare for '26, he's going to be on a mission next year." 

Someone who can relate with Scott on experiencing a dramatic swing from one year to the next is the Dodgers’ hot offseason acquisition and Scott’s new teammate, three-time All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. 

“Following a stellar 2018 season in Seattle during which he recorded a 1.96 ERA and converted an MLB-leading 57 saves, Díaz was traded to the Mets and struggled in his first year in Queens, posting a 5.59 ERA and surrendering 15 homers,” Chen wrote. “But since then, the '19 season has been an outlier in his career.” 

“Perhaps the same will be true for Scott.” 

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