Los Angeles Dodgers closer Tanner Scott revealed the expectations of his four-year, $72 million contract have affected his performance this season.
Scott has featured in 58 games for LA this season, posting a 4.64 ERA through 54.1 innings pitched. He has nine blown saves in 2025, which is more than his previous two seasons combined. The Dodgers signed Scott in the offseason following a sub-2.00 ERA All-Star season with the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
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“Anyone that would say no (they don’t feel it) is probably lying,” Scott said. “You always want to perform to the standard that you believe you are and the team and the fans see you as. When (stuff) goes south, you never want it to happen. But if baseball was easy, everyone would be playing it.”
Scott has struggled for consistency this season, especially in in the couple of weeks following his return from the injured list. The left-hander had two scoreless outings to mark his return before blowing a save against the Arizona Diamondbacks, then allowing a walk-off home run against the Baltimore Orioles in his next outing.
Just three appearances later, he gave up a walk-off grand slam to the San Francisco Giants’ Patrick Bailey.
“I haven’t performed to my standard and the team’s standard,” Scott said. “I signed here and I felt good. But the year has been up and down, up and down. You never want that to happen. You always want to ride the slow curve going up, not the bumpier road. It’s been a bumpy road this year.”
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While he has shown his struggles this season, Scott seems to be on the come up since giving up that grand slam. He hasn’t allowed a run in any of his last four outings, and earned a save against the Giants on Friday in Clayton Kershaw’s last regular season start at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
If Scott can continue to produce these kinds of results, he will be a valuable piece of a bullpen which is improving with each game as October nears.
Photo Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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5 Responses
Bunk. In April, the first full month of the season, you know when the contract was fresh in his mind, over 11 appearances, he pitches 11.0 innings, gave up 1 ER, 9 hits, no walks, 10 Ks, 7 saves, 1 blown save (10th inning) and had a 0.82 ERA. Awesome stats. His ERA in June was 1.35 with 14Ks and 3 walks over 13.1 innings. 8 saves (none blown). In May, ERA balloons to 7.59 (3 blown saves), July it was 8.10 (2 blown saves), August it was 9.00 (1 blown save, and September, it “all the way down” to 6.35.
Sorry, but this is revisionist tell your narrative to deny your mechanical struggles nonsense. As he’s progressed and gotten used to the contract and expectations, he’s gotten worse. There’s more to it than the contract expectations. Not even a nice try for this one.
Couldn’t agree more. Same goals for that jerk training and your other free agent relief picture signings. Freeman needs to retire from the LA scene. Plus a mismanagement of an idiot manager like Roberts spelled doom
I’m sure it plays a role in it, but at this point in the year, I don’t think Scott should be bringing this up. I like when he made sure to be accountable for his lack of production, but you have to show us on the mound
Roberts needs to stop being Mr. nice guy just because guys have huge contracts doesn’t mean they should be playing if they’re not performing let them go, but of course Friedman does not want to spend money at the trade deadline, to fill voids that we have on the team.Robert’s need to go!!
I think the Dodger front office got screwed. Scott is a Choke.