Dodgers Reliever Tanner Scott Eyes Redemption in 2026 After Rough Debut Season in L.A.
Tanner Scott knows exactly what went wrong in 2025-and he’s not hiding from it.
“New year, new me,” Scott said at DodgerFest on Saturday. “When I get two strikes, don’t leave it up in the zone.”
That’s not just a cliché. It’s a hard-earned lesson from a season that didn’t go remotely as planned.
After signing a four-year, $72 million deal last winter-a rare long-term commitment for a reliever under Andrew Friedman-Scott was expected to anchor the Dodgers’ bullpen. Instead, he became a symbol of its struggles.
Let’s rewind. Scott came to L.A. fresh off a dominant All-Star campaign, putting up a microscopic 1.18 ERA with the Marlins before being dealt to the Padres, where he finished strong with a 2.73 ERA.
He was supposed to be the answer at the back end of the bullpen. A high-velocity lefty with swing-and-miss stuff and late-inning experience.
On paper, it was a slam dunk.
But the 2025 season had other plans.
Scott’s ERA ballooned to 4.74 across 57 innings. He led all of Major League Baseball with 10 blown saves.
The command faltered, the fastball got hit, and the confidence-at least from the outside looking in-seemed to waver. For a team with championship aspirations, those late-game collapses were costly.
And it wasn’t just Scott. The Dodgers’ bullpen as a whole was a weak link.
According to Fangraphs, the group racked up 96 meltdowns-a stat that essentially tracks relief appearances where a pitcher significantly hurts his team’s chances of winning. That’s not a typo.
Ninety-six. For a franchise known for its pitching depth, it was an uncharacteristic vulnerability that turned too many winnable games into frustrating losses.
Still, the Dodgers managed to win 93 games and clinch the NL West for a fourth straight year. That’s a testament to the talent on the roster. But it also underscores just how much better they could’ve been with a more reliable bullpen.
Now, heading into 2026, the pressure on Scott has eased-at least a little. With Edwin Díaz stepping in as the presumed closer, Scott won’t be tasked with locking down the ninth inning every night. That change in role could be exactly what he needs to reset and thrive.
“I threw too many balls in the zone and got hit a lot, so it was terrible,” Scott said, bluntly assessing his 2025 campaign.
There’s no sugarcoating it. But there’s also no denying the upside.
Scott still has elite velocity, a wipeout slider, and the ability to miss bats in high-leverage spots. If he can tighten up the command-especially with two strikes-there’s every reason to believe he can be a major contributor again.
The Dodgers don’t need him to be perfect. They just need him to be better. And judging by his mindset heading into spring training, Scott seems ready to make that leap.
If he does, L.A.’s bullpen could go from liability to weapon-and that might be the difference between another early playoff exit and a legitimate shot at a three-peat.