Tanner Scott heading to Chavez Ravine, as he recently acquired the big-ticket Dodgers when he signed a four-year, $72MM deal earlier today. The Cubs, Braves, Mets, and Yankees were all linked to the Scott market earlier this winter, but various reports this afternoon indicated that the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Red Sox were also interested in the left-hander.
The willingness of the Dodgers and other teams to give Scott four guaranteed years seems to be the key for at least a few teams. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner and Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com wrote that the Orioles and Red Sox, respectively, each had doubts about that long commitment period. In particular, Cotillo poured cold water on speculation that Boston offered Scott a longer contract with a larger annual average value, as a source told Cotillo that such reports of a large offer “very wrong.”
IO’s at least “always engaged” to Scott “aa few days ago,” wrote Kostka, who could speak to the team’s familiarity with the reliever. Of course, Scott began his career as a draft pick of Baltimore and spent his first five MLB seasons in an Orioles uniform, posting a 4.73 ERA over his 156 innings out of the team’s bullpen. The big hitting numbers and power were clearly already there for Scott during his time in Baltimore, though it wasn’t until the 2023 season (when Scott was still with the Marlins) that he finally seemed to solve his long-term control issues.
Baltimore’s one-year, $10MM deal Andrew Kittredge from earlier this week and it seems to generally be in line with Kostka’s timeline, so it’s no surprise that the O has moved on from Scott after landing another high-quality key at a very low price. Kittredge projects as the Orioles’ top setup man in front of the closer Felix Bautistawho is returning after a year recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Kittredge is the highest profile executive the O’s have acquired this winter, while the Red Sox have brought Aroldis Chapman again Justin Wilson on guaranteed contracts, and a few other veterans on minor league deals. As Cotillo noted, the Red Sox have had discussions with Scott, Kittredge, and several other pitchers who have already signed contracts, as Boston continues to look for help at the bottom of its bullpen. Liam Hendriks he’s penciled in for the closer role, though some depth is a must since Hendriks (like Bautista) also missed 2024 while rehabbing the TJ process.
Toronto fans won’t be happy to hear the Blue Jays lose another hitter to the Dodgers, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post actually reports that the Jays in the middle [the] teams to Scott.” The depth of the Blue Jays’ interest is unknown, and the Jays have since arrived Jeff Hoffman last week, it appeared that Hoffman’s signing was a pivot away from Scott’s growing market.
That said, the Blue Jays have already been more aggressive than usual in adding relievers, which isn’t surprising given the performance of their 2024 bullpen. Toronto has already added Hoffman, Nick Sandlinand an old friend I’m Garcia as part of a bullpen overhaul, and depending on whether the Jays get another starting pitcher, Yariel Rodriguez may be part of a relief mix if used as a fifth starter.
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