Dodgers Interview: Scott ready to shake off “terrible” first year in Dodger blue

LOS ANGELES — Tanner Scott didn’t try to rewrite last season at DodgerFest. He owned it. He called it “terrible,” explained exactly what went wrong, and then turned the page with the kind of blunt honesty you don’t always get in a quick fan-fest scrum.

Asked what he’s looking forward to most in 2026 after a rough first year in blue that still ended with a ring, Scott started with the big-picture goal. “Going back to back to back, I mean that’ll be sweet,” he said, before circling back to the thing that actually mattered most to him personally. “Getting back healthy was huge for me, and let’s see where it goes this year.”

When the questions turned to how he feels heading into camp, he didn’t pretend last year was a near miss. “Not being as bad as I was last year,” Scott said. “Last year was kind of terrible for me, but it’s a new year. It’s 2026, and move forward.”

The most revealing part of the interview came when he explained the “under the hood” diagnosis in plain language. For a reliever who relies on chase, he simply threw too many strikes. “I threw too many balls in the zone and got hit a lot,” Scott explained. “So, it was terrible.”

From there, he laid out what “better” looks like in his own words. “Not being as predictable,” he said, when asked if the game plan would shift. “Using my putaway pitches when I need them and not going two strikes and letting off a hit. That was terrible.”

So what did he work on, specifically? Again, Scott kept it concrete. “Going to both sides of the plate and not leaving it in the middle,” he said.

Then he got to the internal part, the piece that sounds small until you realize it’s the whole job for a pitcher who’s trying to bounce back. “Trusting my stuff, trusting the coaches,” Scott said. “We got a great staff and we got great teammates, so it’s going to be fun.”

One of the more interesting moments came when Scott was asked about the team’s offseason adds, and how that might shape the bullpen hierarchy. He sounded excited, and also a little eager to get everybody in the same room. “Oh, I mean that’s huge,” Scott said of Edwin Díaz joining the mix. “Anyone that we added, Kyle Tucker, I mean, that’s sweet. Edwin’s awesome. I can’t wait to meet him. I haven’t met him yet, so it’s going to be fun. Our bullpen’s stacked.”

Even in that quick answer, you can hear a reliever who understands what depth does over 162. You don’t need one guy to carry everything. You need options. You need nights where the manager can match up without overcooking anyone in April.

Scott also offered the clearest explanation of why last year drifted the way it did. When he was asked if he could find a reason he kept living in the zone, he didn’t blame luck, and he didn’t blame anything external. “I tried doing something that I didn’t normally do,” he said. “I didn’t play to my strengths the past two years, and the past two years before that were really good, and I kind of got away from that.”

When the follow-up came, the one about expectations and a new team and all the noise that can come with it, Scott didn’t dodge. “Expectations,” he said. “Trying to be perfect.” He paused, then reframed it in the way you’d hope a pitcher does heading into a fresh season. “Try to be myself.”

He also pinpointed when the realization really landed. “Definitely in September,” Scott said, “and then leading up to the playoffs. And then when I went on the…” He trailed into the reality of having downtime at the worst possible moment, and how it forced him to sit with it. “It gives you more time to reflect on what happened and what you can change. It was kind of a blessing in disguise that it happened and it got me to reflect.”

Then came a line that every competitive player hates to say out loud, because it admits the helplessness of being unavailable. “I had to watch it,” Scott said. “I had to watch the series. But I’m glad we won, and I just learned.”

There’s a lot in there. Pride, frustration, relief, and the odd feeling of being part of a championship while not being able to put your hands on the steering wheel when it mattered most.

Another question brought up something Dodgers fans have talked about too: the raw stuff. The velocity and spin looking similar to the years when Scott was dominating with Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres. Scott sounded confident that the foundation is still there. “Yeah, I’m pretty confident on it,” he said. “It was hopefully a fluke year, and this year it’s back to 23 and 24.”

Finally, he talked about what surprised him most about his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his answer wasn’t about the lights or the hype. It was about the people. “They care about you and they care about your family,” Scott said. “They care about winning, and that’s huge. An organization to do that is insane. See how good we are now.”

And yes, he smiled at the idea of helping keep the group together. Asked if he’s doing any recruiting of Evan Phillips this offseason, Scott kept it casual but clear. “I do talk to Evan quite often,” he said. “We’ll see where it goes. I like the guy. I hope he comes back.”

That’s a pretty good snapshot of where Tanner Scott is right now: honest about the bruises, confident the tools are still there, and ready to stop chasing perfection and get back to the version that works. If the plan is to live off the edges again, trust the putaway pitches, and stay healthy, the best part for the Dodgers is simple: they don’t need a brand-new Tanner Scott. They need the real one.

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