Cubs' missing out on their top winter target may not be a bad thing after all

Chicago Cubs fans had big names on their wish list last winter: Japanese hurler Roki Sasaki, All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, slugging first baseman Pete Alonso - the list went on and on. But it was free-agent left-hander Tanner Scott who had Jed Hoyer and his front office ready to go to unprecedented lengths. Even so, Scott elected to join the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cubs were forced to pivot once again to Plan B.

The Cubs were reportedly Scott's preferred destination, but Hoyer wasn't willing to go to four years until the eleventh hour. Even so, Chicago wound up offering him a four-year, $66 million deal - by far the largest deal the franchise had ever put in front of a relief pitcher. Instead, he signed with Los Angeles on a four-year, $72 million deal with a vesting option for 2029.

Now, two months into a four-year deal is far too soon to issue a final verdict on the deal, but the early returns have been troubling for the Dodgers. Scott has struggled immensely and those shortcomings, paired with a laundry list of pitching injuries, have Dave Roberts in a tough spot heading into June.

"I'm just not hitting my locations," Scott said, "and it's costing us." "It (his four-seamer) is getting hit a lot. It sucks right now. Last year I relied on it a lot, and this year it's getting hit and I'm missing locations."

Cubs' bullpen has been lock-down lately, even without Tanner Scott

Scott enters Tuesday with an unsightly 4.73 ERA and a 1.4 HR/9 that's more than double his career average, but despite his struggles, Roberts doesn't have much in terms of late-inning alternatives. Opponents are slugging north of .500 on his fastball this year, a major red flag for the veteran southpaw.

The Cubs' bullpen got off to a bumpy start, but rounded into form fairly quickly, leading all of baseball with a 2.46 ERA since April 19. Daniel Palencia has emerged as a legitimate ninth-inning solution and castoffs like Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Chris Flexen have far exceeded expectations in the first half.

This isn't an indictment on Scott or signing high-profile relievers. But it's safe to say he hasn't delivered so far for a Dodgers team in dire need of consistency from the arms left standing and the Cubs' missing out on him looks like anything but a miss right now.