Tanner Scott is one of the best relief pitchers in major league baseball, and the Miami Marlins are expected to trade him before the July 30 deadline.
With few sellers and many buyers on the market and everyone seemingly needing pitchers, Scott will be a popular name among teams looking to bolster their relief corps. While acquiring a high-leverage bullpen option is not a priority for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it would still be beneficial for them.
The Marlins have been reported to be interested in Scott, but nothing has materialized yet as the team has begun trading some of its players, starting with sending A.J. Pack to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.
With just a few days left until the deadline, the Dodgers remain one of the teams interested in acquiring Scott, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
According to sources briefed on the Marlins’ negotiations, teams interested in Scott (and possibly Estevez) include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Orioles, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.
Scott should be able to develop quickly no matter which team he joins, but he has struggled with walks this season.
The left-hander is walking about 15 percent of the batters he faces, up from just under 8 percent last season, but Scott’s walk rate this year is closer to his career rate of 13 percent.
Despite his high walk rate, Scott has struck out 28.8% of batters he faces and has limited his home run rate to just 0.40 per nine innings, resulting in a solid 1.21 ERA, 3.26 FIP and 2.92 xERA in 44.2 innings pitched this season.
Scott is set to become a free agent after the 2024 season, so it’s almost certain the Marlins’ closer will be traded.
Should the Dodgers trade Tanner Scott or bolster their bullpen?
The Dodgers’ relief corps has been overworked recently, with Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia struggling recently, so the relief corps may be needed more than the Dodgers expected a week ago, but they must work on strengthening their starting pitching and outfield.
It seems more likely that the Dodgers will acquire a struggling reliever or mid-level player who they believe has the solution to get them back on track, which is a route the Dodgers have taken in the past and it has generally worked.
The Dodgers are unlikely to trade for a top-tier relief pitcher as they are searching for an impact outfielder and starting pitcher, but if neither of their main searches bear fruit, acquiring a quality reliever would be a way to bolster the team.
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