The Los Angeles Dodgers fell short of winning three consecutive titles as they were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series last week. Now, there is plenty of work to do to try and get back to the Fall Classic next October (or whenever the 2027 World Series will be played).
The work in question, however, must be weary of past offseason mistakes that may have contributed to not currently playing baseball at the moment. If the Dodgers spend big on a relief pitcher again, past spending shows that they may be doomed to suffer another early postseason departure, or once again look back and see millions of wasted dollars.
Back in 2024, when the Dodgers won the first of eventually two back-to-back rings, LA did so without a clear-cut closer in the bullpen. The closer-by-committee approach, ending in starting pitcher Walker Buehler closing out Game 5 of the World Series on one day of rest, worked.
Evan Phillips notched 18 regular-season saves and a 3.62 ERA while Daniel Hudson had 10 of his own to go along with a 3.00 ERA in what proved to be his final MLB season.
Ahead of the 2025 offseason, the Dodgers were focused on addressing the lack of closer regardless of the effectiveness of the committee, and shelled out $72 million for Tanner Scott for the next four years. He was coming off a 2024 season that included a 1.75 ERA across 72 appearances.
The deal seemed like a no-brainer for a team that in need of a closer, but the Dodgers had never spent big on the unpredictability of a MLB reliever in recent memory. With a farm system that is a perennial top-system in the sport, developing talent proves to be more responsible from a financial stand point.
Scott showed exactly why LA rarely writes these kinds of checks for relievers as he put up a 4.74 ERA in 2025 and a -1.9 Win Probability Added score . For reference, he led the majors in this stat during his 2023 campaign with the Miami Marlins, adding a change in probability of 5.1.
Scott also led MLB with 10 blown saves across his 61 appearances. When it was time for the postseason, he was added to the injured list with a lower-body abscess incision that held him out of October.
This led the Dodgers to win another World Series with a closer-by-committee approach.
That is exactly why All-Star closer Edwin Diaz was signed for a three-year, $69 million deal this past offseason. Diaz went on to finish the regular season with an ERA of 8.68 in 21 appearances.
The Dodgers would be wise to not spent big on another closer this offseason, especially when many of the problems in the NLCS dealt with a lack of offense instead of a closer-by-committee concern.
Instead, they need to hope Scott and/or Diaz turn into reliable options in 2027, while using that many to address other roster holes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as The Biggest Free-Agent Mistake the Dodgers Must Avoid This Winter .
