Dodgers Interested In Devin Williams, Tanner Scott

10:54PM: At least 10 teams have checked in with the Brewers about Williams, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, including the Dodgers and Yankees.  With this much interest in the closer, there is a sense that the Brewers might wait until later in the offseason to deal Williams (if at all), since they could land a bigger return once the free agent relief market clears out.

4:51PM: The ever-aggressive Dodgers are looking for high-leverage relief help, and The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports that Devin Williams and Tanner Scott are two of the names under consideration as L.A. weighs options in both free agency and the trade market.

Williams is eligible for free agency next winter, and there has been speculation that Milwaukee will once again look to move a notable player in advance of a trip to the open market so that the Brewers can recoup more than just draft compensation.  The closer is projected for a $7.7MM arbitration salary, as Williams’ numbers last season were limited by a stress reaction in his back that kept him off the mound until late July.

Despite the long layoff, Williams still looked like himself upon his return, posting a 1.25 ERA in 21 2/3 innings while racking up 14 saves.  It is possible rival teams could still point to the back injury as a reason to limit their offers for Williams, not to mention the fact that even an elite reliever has somewhat limited trade value with just one year of remaining control.

This all being said, Williams has such an outstanding track record that the Brewers will likely be able to hold firm on a high asking price.  Williams has excelled in both a set-up and closing role basically since he debuted in the majors in 2019, with a 1.83 ERA and a preposterous 39.4% strikeout rate over his 235 2/3 career innings.  His 11.8% career walk rate is on the high side and memories of his blown save in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series will linger for a long time in Milwaukee, but overall, Williams is the type of pitcher any team would want at the back of their bullpen.

Los Angeles has plenty of young talent to offer Milwaukee in a potential trade, and some of the Dodgers’ MLB-ready young pitching could be of particular interest.  Dealing away some of this depth might be preferable since the Dodgers have already dipped into the free agent market for Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, and Blake Treinen this offseason….or L.A. could make another splash by inking Scott to a long-term contract.

MLBTR ranked Scott as the best reliever in this year’s free agent class, and 14th overall on our list of the top 50 free agents.  This designation came with a prediction of a four-year, $56MM contract, and such a deal is certainly feasible for a Dodgers team that clearly isn’t shy about spending.  As Ardaya notes, L.A. was one of the many teams interested in Scott prior to the trade deadline, before the Marlins sent him to another NL West contender in the Padres.

Scott has always had plenty of strikeout power, but things didn’t fully click for him until the 2023 season.  Over the last two years, Scott has a 2.04 ERA, 31.3% strikeout rate, and 10% walk rate in 150 innings with Miami and San Diego, with just six home runs allowed and a 50.4% grounder rate.  Like Williams, control is a bit of an issue for Scott, yet the premium stuff is clearly there.