The baseball world is currently obsessed with a question that doesn’t matter. With Edwin Diaz headed for the operating table to fix loose bodies in his elbow, the panic has set in. Fans and fantasy managers are scouring the box scores, asking the same tired question: Who is the Dodgers closer? Tanner Scott? Alex Vesia? Maybe a resurrected Blake Treinen?
If you are looking for a name to etch into a permanent ninth-inning stone, you are living in 2004. The "closer" is a dead concept in Los Angeles, and Dave Roberts just buried it. The obsession with Scott being "the guy" because he’s making $18 million a year is a sunk-cost fallacy that ignores how Andrew Friedman actually builds a roster.
The Tanner Scott Delusion
The "lazy consensus" says Tanner Scott is the heir apparent. He has the contract (four years, $72 million). He has the "closer stuff"—a high-velocity fastball and a slider that can erase hitters.
But have we forgotten 2025? Scott was a disaster in the ninth. He blew 10 saves. He posted a 4.74 ERA. He was so unreliable that the team went out and spent another $69 million on Edwin Diaz just to avoid letting Scott touch a high-leverage baseball in October.
Scott’s early 2026 stats—a 1.04 ERA and an 8:0 K:BB ratio through late April—are a mirage of reliability. He is a high-variance asset. Putting him in a fixed ninth-inning role is like trying to use a flamethrower to light a scented candle. You might get the job done, or you might burn the whole house down. Roberts knows this. He’s seen the scar tissue.
The Committee is a Feature, Not a Bug
Reporters are framing the "closer-by-committee" as a temporary crisis. They are wrong. It is a strategic advantage.
In the modern game, the "Save" is the most overrated stat in sports. It forces managers to save their best arm for the ninth inning, even if the heart of the opponent's order—say, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts—is coming up in the seventh.
Dave Roberts isn't "failing" to name a closer. He is refusing to be handcuffed by a tradition that limits his flexibility. By using a "lanes" or "pockets" approach, the Dodgers are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
- Alex Vesia isn't a "backup closer." He is a left-handed weapon who already has two saves this year because the matchups dictated it.
- Blake Treinen is the veteran bridge who can handle high-leverage chaos in the eighth just as easily as the ninth.
If the Dodgers face a lineup of three straight lefties in the eighth inning, Vesia is coming in. If that same pocket appears in the ninth, he stays in. The identity of the "closer" changes based on the 27th out, not a pre-game depth chart.
The Brutal Truth About "Leverage"
I’ve watched teams blow division titles because they refused to use their "closer" in a tie game on the road in the eighth inning. They "saved" him for a lead that never came. The Dodgers are too smart for that.
The industry insider secret is that the "closer" role is often a psychological safety blanket for mediocre managers. It allows them to avoid blame. If the closer blows it, the manager "played it by the book." If a middle reliever blows it in the ninth, the manager gets roasted for overthinking.
Roberts has the job security and the roster depth to ignore the noise. He is going to hunt matchups.
- Imagine a scenario where the Dodgers are up by one against the Padres. Fernando Tatis Jr. is leading off the eighth.
- A traditional manager waits for the ninth to use Scott. Tatis hits a home run against a tired middle reliever. Game over.
- Roberts uses Scott in the eighth against Tatis. The lead holds. Vesia finishes the ninth against the bottom of the order.
Who got the save? Vesia. Who won the game? The manager who understood that the eighth inning was the real ninth.
Stop Chasing Saves
If you’re a fan, stop waiting for the announcement. There won't be one. If you’re a fantasy manager, stop burning your FAAB on Tanner Scott expecting 40 saves. You’re going to get a handful of saves, a few holds, and a lot of frustration when Vesia or a random call-up gets the nod because of a "lane."
The Dodgers are currently 14-4 and leading the NL West. They are winning because they have a bullpen of elite arms, not a hierarchy of egos. The "closer" is whoever is standing on the mound when the game ends. Period.
The era of the specialized ninth-inning specialist is over in Los Angeles. The sooner you stop looking for it, the sooner you'll actually understand how this team wins.
Final blow: If you need a name for your jersey, buy a Yamamoto or an Ohtani. If you want a name for the ninth inning, buy a program and check the matchups. It’s the only way you’ll ever be right.
