The Los Angeles Dodgers signed relief pitcher Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract this past offseason.
After a 2024 campaign that featured a phenomenal 1.75 ERA across 72 innings of work and limiting batters to an average exit velocity of just 84.3 mph against his offerings (putting him in the 100th percentile), his production justified the lucrative deal.
So far this season, Scott’s ERA has ballooned to 4.64 across 58 appearances. He is tied for the most blown saves in MLB with nine and has a 6.35 ERA in his eight appearances this month.
As devastating as things have been for the southpaw, he seems to have adopted a new mindset amid the struggle.
More news: Dodgers’ Tanner Scott Admits Expectations of $72 Million Contract Weighed on Him
“Well, I kind of just have the (to heck with it) attitude right now,” Scott said. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to go out there right now and not think. Just say, ‘(Screw) it.’
“I mean, that’s how I always pitched. I kind of lost it this year. Now I’m back to ‘(Screw) it.’”
When asked if the weighty contract is playing a role in his pressure, a kind of contract that the Dodgers don’t usually hand out to relievers, he spoke honestly about feeling the expectations.
“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’s last two outings have featured no earned runs, two hits, and a save. Manager Dave Roberts spoke on how critical this is, not only for the immediate, but for his team’s aspirations at the end of October.
“The last two have been good,” Roberts said. “The stuff has been better. The slider has been better. Hopefully we found something.
“And he’s one of our guys. So I really believe without a doubt that, for us to win the World Series, we’re gonna need him. For me, I don’t see any other side. So the most important thing is for him to get the confidence that baseball doesn’t hate him, and he’s the best option when he goes out there.”
Photo Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
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One Response
Great! New mindset, same results with yet another blown save last night. They guy, along with Treinen, is literally the reason we are not currently the #2 seed in the NL and why we are struggling just to win the NL West. Unreal. 10 blown saves. But hey, let us know all about that new mindset. We are DOA if either of these guys pitch in the post season. Treinen was close to a shutdown reliever in the playoffs last year. Both make Craig Kimbrel look like a 2022 Cy Young candidate.