The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering the 2026 season with a clear priority: fixing the bullpen. After a disappointing 2025 campaign from high-priced relievers Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen, the team is hoping to rebound without overhauling its back end entirely.
Tanner Scott’s Rocky Season
Tanner Scott, signed to a $72 million deal after a dominant 2024 season in which he posted a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves, struggled mightily in 2025. He led MLB with 10 blown saves, finishing the year with a 4.74 ERA over 61 appearances. His strikeout rate dropped to 25.3 percent from 33.9 percent in 2023, while his hard-hit percentage climbed to 42.3. Even his four-seam fastball, which allowed an opponents’ batting average of just .134 in 2024, was hit at a .244 clip in 2025.
Scott also missed time due to an abscess procedure, which kept him off the Dodgers’ playoff roster. Despite these setbacks, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes maintains confidence in the right-hander’s ability to rebound. “I think we’ve seen it in the past with guys, there is reliever volatility. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this happen in the past with other great relievers. So our full belief is that Tanner is gonna come back and have a great year for us next year, and be right there in the mix to pitch at the back end of games,” Gomes said at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
Support Local and Independent Sports Writing – Subscribe To the LAFB Network Today!
Dodgers’ Bullpen Strategy
Vote For Your Favorite Dodgers Duo: Ohtani – Yamamoto, Betts – Freeman, Hernandez – Hernandez
While Scott won’t automatically be the closer in 2026, the Dodgers view him as a potential shutdown option. Alongside Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates, Scott represents a significant financial investment, with both he and Treinen earning over $12 million next season. Los Angeles could pivot to lower-cost options or convert excess starters to bullpen roles, but the franchise has historically preferred high-profile arms.
Veteran analyst Jeff Passan has suggested the Dodgers could target free-agent closers like Edwin Díaz, though such a move could replicate the risk experienced with Scott’s contract. For now, they are betting on coaching and familiarity to stabilize Scott and maximize the team’s high-priced bullpen assets.
Looking Ahead
Despite his struggles, Scott’s track record and the Dodgers’ deep resources leave him in the mix for 2026. With the rotation largely set and the offense secure, the back-end relief corps remains the team’s main offseason focus. The key question will be whether Scott can recapture his 2024 form and prove that his 2025 woes were merely a volatile season in an otherwise elite career.