Who Will Close Out Games for the Dodgers Come October?

The back-to-back reigning World Series champions look as good as ever… on paper. But the holes on the field are evident. This may not be the same dominant squad we’ve come to know.

The way to knock out the champs is to get to the bullpen.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers have long cycled through arms throughout the season, they’ve hit a particularly rough stretch heading into October. No clear high-leverage arms have emerged, and the ones that have shown promise are banged up or struggling down the stretch.

Los Angeles has been no stranger to questionable bullpen depth. Over their past two World Series runs, they’ve relied on the likes of Michael Kopech and Will Klein to deliver late-inning heroics, while deploying starters to shut down games. Walker Buehler, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all had marquee moments closing out World Series games.

But taxing valuable starting arms so heavily isn’t a sustainable model for success, especially with the newfound fragility of the starting rotation. That raises the question: Who will close out games for the Dodgers come October?

Stats updated prior to games on September 17.

Can Tanner Scott Defend the Title?

Andrew Friedman and the front office have historically not splurged on relief pitchers. That ended with the signing of Tanner Scott, coming off a season where he posted a 1.75 ERA, stealing him away from the division rival Padres. At the time, he signed the second-richest relief pitcher contract in the sport.

Scott had a poor first season in Los Angeles, rocking a 4.70 FIP, his worst mark since 2019. Notably, he led all relievers with 10 blown saves. He reportedly dealt with elbow inflammation for some time during the season. An unrelated surgery took him off the playoff roster in the NLDS, and he never returned.

2026 has been kinder to Scott. His 2.17 FIP is the seventh-best mark among qualified relief pitchers. He has maintained his stellar swing-and-miss stuff while cutting his home-run-to-fly-ball rate by over 10%.

The question is whether Dave Roberts will trust Scott to handle ninth-inning duties. Over his last 12 games, Scott has given up eight runs and 13 hits over 10.2 innings and has been prone to the “blowup” outing over the past two seasons.

Still, Scott will most likely hold his mantle heading into October, but who can emerge to challenge the throne?

A Repeat of 2025?

After a poor start to his MLB career, Roki Sasaki missed over four months in 2025 with a shoulder injury. Doubts emerged about whether one of the most highly touted signings of the offseason would even make the postseason roster.

Sasaki silenced his doubters, coming back at the tail end of the 2025 regular season as a reliever. His once subdued stuff was emboldened out of the bullpen, and he was able to crack the October staff.

With unwavering confidence in Sasaki, Roberts trotted the once-seemingly-broken arm out in high-leverage on baseball’s biggest stage and was rewarded with just one run over 10.2 innings.

Though the numbers don’t show it, 2026 has been a revelation for Sasaki. His fastball is up by nearly two miles per hour, while generating two more inches of ride and touching triple digits with consistency. He’s also attacking with a reinvented splitter and slider, which have been stellar additions to his arsenal.

On August 26, Sasaki left his start with a blister, in the midst of another stretch of stellar outings. He has thrown two simulated games since, but the Dodgers are unsure whether he’ll return as a starter or reliever.

A healthy Sasaki was dynamite as Los Angeles’ closer last postseason run, and his new-and-improved stuff surely serves a compelling case for him to reprise his role this time around.

Filling in the Gaps

With so many high-stakes games in succession, teams can’t go in with one or two late-inning arms. Last season, six arms were tasked with finishing close games out of the bullpen.

For some time, Edgardo Henriquez looked to be a closing option for October, but a back strain put him on the injured list on September 14. The flamethrower, capable of touching 104 mph with two fastball shapes, remains an option to close games, but the waters have certainly been muddied.

Alex Vesia has been the Dodgers’ most reliable reliever since joining the club in 2021, and he’s one of the more battle-tested arms in the bullpen. There is some risk in Vesia, given that high-carry four-seamers are prone to the long ball, but his 1.86 postseason ERA is a big factor, considering all the questions surrounding the bullpen.

After a breakout rookie season, Jack Dreyer has emerged as one of Los Angeles’ top arms. He added a tick and a half to an elite riding four-seam, upping his four-seam whiff rate to 26%.

Acquired at the deadline last summer, Brock Stewart has developed into a stellar relief pitcher since his first stint as a Dodger. Though a shoulder injury took him out for last year’s playoff run, he’s bounced back well and should have a place in the bullpen come October.

The Verdict

The Dodgers’ pitching staff operates as a conglomerate of the best 14 arms in the organization. In that case, roles won’t be as prominent in October as they would be in the regular season. There are high-leverage and medium/low-leverage arms. The game script dictates the rest.

Still, there’s bound to be a scenario where both Scott and Sasaki are available in a save situation. Who will Roberts go to?

Heath permitting, the ball goes to Sasaki. There was even more uncertainty surrounding Sasaki last season, and he was still the guy. It’s hard to argue against the trust that Roberts and the Dodgers put into Sasaki on the postseason stage.

It’s not that Scott doesn’t have a compelling case. He put the Dodgers in a blender in the 2024 NLDS, but it’s safe to say that he isn’t that dominant arm anymore, and that’s okay. If Sasaki’s blister proves to be an issue, save situations should belong to Scott.