Los Angeles Deferrals: Dodgers Tanner Scott contract is absolutely infuriating

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed relief pitcher Tanner Scott to add to their already-loaded bullpen on Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers have dominated the last two winters much like they did this past regular season and postseason. If there were an award given out for best offseason, Andrew Friedman would earn it.

The Dodgers signed Roki Sasaki to a team-friendly deal thanks to MLB's international signing rules for amateur players. Sasaki is technically still an amateur at 23 years old. A call from Shohei Ohtani reportedly got the deal done. Just a few days later and Los Angeles has added another core piece to their roster in Scott, who was considered the best player at his position available.

Scott had a 4.0 WAR, 1.75 ERA and 22 saves last season. He finished the year with the rival San Diego Padres after a midseason trade.

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Tanner Scott's Dodgers contract is bound to make baseball fans upset

Per FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray, Scott's contract includes a $20 million signing bonus and $21 million in deferred money, thus eliminating much of the financial hit the Dodgers would otherwise be taking on.

Contract deferrals are nothing new in MLB, as they infamous Bobby Bonilla Day in July 1, in which the retired Mets star is paid at least $500,000. Shohei Ohtani will receive far more than that when his playing days are over, as he's scheduled to get $68 million installments starting in 2034. It's unclear exactly when Scott will get his deferred payments, but the strategy opens up a whole can of worms for the Dodgers and MLB.

The current CBA is set to expire on Dec. 1, 2026. The Dodgers deferred payments – and contract structure in general – should be a hot topic for owners and players alike. The MLBPA doesn't seem to have a problem with it as long as the players eventually get paid. Owners ought to, as it doesn't encourage parity and is rather sketchy by nature.

Until baseball institutes salary rules with real consequences – not just a luxury tax number – teams like the Dodgers (and future iterations of superteams) will take advantage, and it's tough to blame them.