Tanner Scott The top reliever in a slow-moving free agent class, he remains unsigned. Power Throwing for Lefties and Righties Jeff Hoffman The best bullpen weapon all winter long.
There hasn’t been much talk about Scott lately, but that doesn’t seem to reflect calm in the market. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that the All-Star closer is expected to receive interest from multiple big-market teams. Sean McAdam, Cotillo’s MassLive colleague, said Scott will earn about $20MM per year, and the contract will definitely be multi-year.
The Dodgers are most often associated with Scott. He was reportedly on the Yankees’ radar even before they planned the game. Devin Williams trading. David O’Brien of The Athletic added another team, reporting that the Warriors have already conducted a background check on Scott. Cotillo said the Red Sox are exploring the top of the reliever market in general, although the report doesn’t specifically link them to Scott.
If Scott can hit the $20MM AAV mark, he’ll be joining rare company. As shown on MLBTR’s contract tracker , only two relievers signed to that amount, and each comes with an asterisk. Nick Martinez Accepted the Reds’ $21.05MM qualifying offer this offseason. It’s a one-year commitment and Martinez is capable of starting. The only relayer who can make $20MM+ on a long-term contract is Edwin Diaz. He signed a five-year, $10MM contract extension with the Mets two seasons ago. However, this comes with more than $26MM in deferred funding, bringing the NPV to nearly $93MM. By this standard, Diaz’s true average annual value is probably between $18 and $19.
Measured through NPV, Josh Hader Last winter, he set a new standard for backup contracts with a five-year, $95 term. Hader has a longer record than Scott, so it would be a surprise if the latter got five years and AAV is approximately $20MM. However, a four-year deal should be in effect. MLBTR predicted at the start of the offseason that Scott would get a four-year, $56MM deal. McAdam’s report may indicate bidding has exceeded that number.
Scott brings rare speed from the left side. His four-seamer averaged 97 mph and his slider velocity was between 88-89 mph. Scott has posted consecutive seasons with an ERA below 2.50 in 70 innings. Last year, he pitched 72 innings between the Marlins and Padres, posting a 1.75 ERA and a 28.2% strikeout rate. Scott added 4 1/3 scoreless innings in October with seven strikeouts, including a handful of walkouts Shohei Ohtani In the Division Series against the Dodgers.
The price tag complicates the Warriors’ pursuit, but doesn’t necessarily rule them out. Atlanta’s only free agent activity this offseason has been three low-cost carve-out contracts. they rescheduled Aaron Bammer and Reynaldo Lopez contracted and offloaded for the last two years Jorge Soler trade. Whether this is an effort to reallocate cap space to major acquisitions or a reflection of them simply working on a tight budget remains to be seen.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said at the winter meetings that the Braves do not plan to keep the luxury tax threshold below that level. Atlanta has paid its taxes for several seasons. RosterResource estimates their CBT amount for next season will be approximately $218MM. This puts them 25MM below the base threshold of 241MM. They could sign Scott and stay just under the tax line. atalanta may lose AJ Minter Become a free agent. they will not have Josh Jimenez Most or all of next season. Too bad, Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee Items as top setting arm in front of closer Raisel Iglesias.
