Tanner Scott, an All-Star reliever, might leave the San Diego Padres in free agency to join a recent World Series champion.
Padres’ Tanner Scott forecasted to land on Rangers
Andy McCullough of The Athletic highlighted Scott as the ideal candidate for the Texas Rangers to acquire. McCullough stated that Scott can do the following for the former 2023 Fall Classic winners:
“Tanner Scott, (left-handed pitcher),” McCullough remarked. “Texas feels its team can compete in 2025. The majority of the 2023 championship team’s lineup remains unchanged. Jacob deGrom will start the season at full strength. But, while owner Ray Davis is unlikely to authorize the massive spending required to build the majority of the roster, there may be enough room to add someone like Scott.
“He was the most useful reliever in baseball over the last two seasons, according to FanGraphs. When he throws strikes, he appears unstoppable. Throughout the postseason, he owned Shohei Ohtani. He can close or put out fires. For a squad hoping to return to October, he makes a lot of sense.”
Scott was efficient and impactful for the Padres in 2024
Scott recorded 22 saves in 2024, four of which came after being moved from the Miami Marlins to the Padres midseason. He demonstrated that his efficiency and volume of strikeouts in 2023 were not a fluke, with a 1.75 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, and 84 Ks on the season.
Padres need Scott’s prowess in adversity over AL foes
When the lights were brightest, the 30-year-old delivered. Scott did not allow a single earned run in six playoff games for San Diego. As McCullough stated, the Ohio native has a 1.72 ERA in save situations and a 1.78 ERA when not in save circumstances. In terms of putting out fires, Scott allowed opposition sluggers to hit.088/.184/.088 when down in games.
Going from the Padres to the American League West’s Rangers would simply deplete San Diego’s bullpen while providing Texas with an exceptional late-game finisher. As talented as the Padres were in 2024, they were unable to defeat their National League West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the playoffs. As a result, the franchise may need to seriously evaluate how they will approach bringing their powerful bullpen arm back for a title run in 2025.
