Padres’ could lose fire extinguishing closer to Rangers in free agency
The San Diego Padres could lose All-Star reliever Tanner Scott to a recent World Series champion in free agency.
Padres’ Tanner Scott forecasted to land on Rangers
The Athletic’s Andy McCullough identified Scott as a picture-perfect match for the Texas Rangers to acquire. McCullough said this about what Scott can do for the former 2023 Fall Classic winners (h/t Patrick McAvoy of The Sporting News):
“Tanner Scott, (left-handed pitcher),” McCullough said. “Texas believes the team can contend in 2025. Most of the lineup from the 2023 championship squad is still around. Jacob deGrom will enter the season at full strength. But while owner Ray Davis is not expected to authorize the huge expenditures the team required to assemble most of the roster, maybe there is enough room to add someone like Scott.
“He was the most valuable reliever in baseball these past two seasons, according to FanGraphs. When he throws strikes, he looks indomitable. He owned Shohei Ohtani during the postseason. He can close or he can put out fires. For a team looking to return to October, he makes a lot of sense.”
Scott racked up 22 saves in 2024, four of which came after he was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Padres midseason. He proved that his efficiency and volume number of strikeouts in 2023 were no fluke with a 1.75 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, and 84 Ks on the campaign.
Padres need Scott’s prowess in adversity over AL foes
When the lights shone brightest, the 30-year-old delivered. Scott did not concede a single earned run across six playoff games for San Diego. As McCullough affirmed, the Ohio native sported a 1.72 ERA in save situations and a 1.78 ERA when not in save situations. As for putting fires out, Scott gave up a praiseworthy .088/.184/.088 slash line to opposing sluggers when trailing in games.
Going from the Padres to the American League West’s Rangers would only take away from San Diego’s bullpen and gift Texas with an elite late-game finisher. As talented as they were in 2024, the Padres were not strong enough to down their National League West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. Thus, the franchise may need to strongly consider how they’ll approach bringing their stout bullpen arm back for a title chase in 2025.
