Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen (49) celebrates after the end of the eighth inning against the New York Yankees in game five of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz
As Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies try to figure out how to retool the back-end of their bullpen, veteran righty Blake Treinen is a name worth considering.
Over on Bleacher Report, I released my annual list of the top 25 free agents with predictions on both the contract each player will land and what team it will be with.
🚨🚨It’s here. My top 25 MLB free agents list with contract and team projections is live on @BRWalkoff https://t.co/htK41uv7oZ
It didn't take very long for the Phillies to be predicted as a landing spot for a free-agent reliever, although it wasn't with No. 25 on the list, Carlos Estévez. Instead, it was a spot later, where I projected that the Phillies will sign Blake Treinen to a one-year/$10 million deal. It should be noted, this is a prediction, not a report.
Treinen's finest season came in 2018, when he posted a minuscule 0.78 ERA across 68 games for the Oakland Athletics, finishing sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting and even getting some down-ballot MVP support.
Between 2018 and 2021 — a period that he split between the A's and Los Angeles Dodgers — Treinen was one of baseball's best relievers, racking up 62 saves, while posting a 2.51 ERA and 5.7 WAR, which FanGraphs says was sixth among all relievers over that stretch.
However, Treinen's career took a detour when after being limited to just five appearances during the 2022 campaign, he underwent right shoulder surgery in November of that year to repair the labrum and rotator cuff. The subsequent recovery kept Treinen from pitching at all in 2023.
Even in 2024, Treinen didn't make his season debut until May 5, because he sustained a bruised lung during a Spring Training game when a ball was lined back at him.
Scary moment as Blake Treinen took a line drive off his ribs
Luckily he was able to walk off the field under his own power pic.twitter.com/dtcuYXaH84
But once Treinen made his 2024 debut, he returned to being one of the more electric relievers in the game. Across 50 regular season appearances, Treinen posted a 1.93 ERA and 3.00 FIP, while racking up 56 strikeouts. He did have a brief injured list stint in August with left hip discomfort, but he was largely effective out of the bullpen for Dave Roberts.
In the postseason, Treinen was one of the reasons that the Dodgers were able to overcome their underwhelming starting rotation to win the World Series for the second time in five years. Treinen posted a 2.19 ERA across 12 1/3 playoff innings, striking out 18 and walking just four. He doesn't throw quite as hard as he once did, but a 94.3 mph fastball still plays, particularly when you also have a devastating sweeper, a cutter and a sinker in your repertoire.
Blake Treinen, Insane 85mph Sweeper. 😳
21 Inches of Horizontal Break. pic.twitter.com/4Tqnd7PHmY
Treinen will turn 37 next June, and does have the shoulder surgery in the not-so-distant past. That's why we're only projecting he will get a one-year deal, as opposed to two years for Estévez, whose stuff isn't nearly as good but is younger (32 in December) and more likely to stay healthy. Many believe Estévez could even get three years, and he would probably be a safer bet than Treinen.
But Treinen is a two-time World Series Champion, who has experience closing and working as a set-up man. He re-established himself as one of the nastier relievers in baseball in the second half of 2024. Whether it's in addition to one of Estévez and Jeff Hoffman or as part of a bullpen makeover, Treinen would look good in red pinstripes in 2025.
