Dodgers attempt at bullpen upgrade just got harder with target's reported contract demands

Of the few Los Angeles Dodgers who departed in free agency following the 2024 season, the only two who may have a shot at returning are Kiké Hernández and Joe Kelly, who left vacant spaces on the bench and in the bullpen.

The Dodgers may opt to keep them empty until spring training in order to give NRIs or prospects the tiniest sliver of a chance at making the Opening Day roster, but we're talking about the Dodgers here. If they have an opportunity to buy a free agent to put in one of those spots, they probably will.

Trade target Devin Williams was snatched off the market by the Yankees, seemingly right from under the Dodgers' noses. It stung, but LA had already expressed interest in a free agent who could soften the blow.

Tanner Scott is perhaps the last top-tier reliever on the free agent market, and he might've be the best of the entire class anyway. He left the Padres after a maligned trade and half a season in San Diego and is expected to make somewhere between $56-64 million over four years in his next landing spot.

However, Red Sox writer Sean McAdam reported that Scott is seeking a lot more than that: four years, $80 million.

Dodgers target Tanner Scott reportedly asking for $80 million in free agency

There's never really the question of the Dodgers being able to afford a guy they really want — everyone knows they can — but there is the question of whether he's worth as much as he's asking for. Scott had a stellar year between the Marlins and Padres (1.75 ERA over 72 innings), and his role with the Dodgers could be more flexible than Williams' might've been, as Scott became a setup man in San Diego with Robert Suarez in the closer role.

The Dodgers have no qualms about spending, but the bullpen also shaped up into one of the strongest parts of the team in the second half of the season with no help from Kelly, whose spot Scott would ostensibly be filling. If they were going to make Scott a traditional closer, they could do the same with Evan Phillips or Michael Kopech.

Scott would be a nice cherry on top of an already nice offseason, but the Dodgers will have to figure out if they really want him enough to make him the second highest-paid reliever in 2025.