Dodgers expect Scott to rebound in '26

LOS ANGELES -- 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.

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 went from a stellar couple of seasons in 2023-24, when he posted a cumulative 2.04 ERA in 146 appearances for the Marlins and Padres, to 2025, when he recorded a 4.74 ERA in 61 appearances. He had an MLB-worst 10 blown saves, four more than he had in the prior two seasons combined.

There were health issues at play, and manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes suggested at the Winter Meetings that Scott was hurt for longer than he let on. Scott spent about a month on the injured list after leaving an outing with left elbow inflammation in July, and it sounds as if he was dealing with some discomfort in his throwing arm even before then, which was not disclosed at the time.

After he returned from the IL, Scott endured a particularly rough stretch. He gave up four walk-off hits in the final month of the regular season, including three in the span of four outings from Sept. 5-12. Scott was on the roster for the NL Wild Card Series and Division Series, but he did not warm up in the 'pen during any games. He was removed from the NLDS roster after having a procedure to address a lower-body abscess, which ultimately ended his postseason.

It was a disappointing year overall, but there were good stretches mixed in. On the heels of a span in which he blew three saves in seven appearances from May 20 to June 2, Scott found an adjustment that led to one of his best runs of the season. He allowed two runs (one earned) and converted eight saves in his next 13 appearances.

Those extremes show that bullpen volatility is difficult to predict.

"I think with Tanner, there was a lot of batted-ball luck and things that would be very hard to repeat again," Gomes said. "We’ve seen it happen with elite relievers before. So I’m very confident that Tanner is going to come back and have a great season for us and be a big part of our success.”

One such elite reliever who dealt with a wild swing from one year to another is the Dodgers' newest arm, 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. But since then, the '19 season has been an outlier in his career.

Perhaps the same will be true for Scott.

Scott's main issue in 2025 was missing locations, and his sequencing could get predictable at times.

Before last season, Scott was known for his high walk rates, but he trimmed the mark from 12.2% in 2024 to 7.2% in '25. He tended to leave more pitches out over the plate, perhaps an unintended consequence of cutting down on walks.

Scott believed that his missed locations were a mechanical issue, and he was able to identify tweaks to his delivery that seemed to fix it at times. But any solutions proved temporary, as he struggled to sustain success.

It wasn't a good season all told, but the Dodgers still believe that his first year in Dodger blue was an outlier. Whether it was mechanics, health or simply volatility, they know that Scott is capable of better things.

"There were moments where it looked right, he felt OK, but he just never felt comfortable," 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."