The Los Angeles Dodgers continued to address their bullpen this offseason by re-signing Blake Treinen to a two-year contract with a team option for 2023. The deal was announced without prior indication Treinen was negotiating with the Dodgers or other teams.
“There was a handful of other teams that were pretty aggressive in wanting to sign me,” he said. “The Dodgers checked all the boxes on things that we were looking for, so we ended up coming back. It’s a great organization.
“I had such a blast with the players and staff members, and my family really enjoyed being in L.A., so we’re excited to get back. Any time the best team in baseball wants to sign you, it’s a blessing.”
Treinen first joined the Dodgers organization last winter on a one-year deal that aimed to allow him to re-establish value. He surprisingly reached free agency upon being non-tendered by the Oakland Athletics.
Like he referenced during the season and again in the playoffs, Treinen was appreciative of the Dodgers taking his long-term health into consideration and presenting new information on how to best be effective.
“Yeah, obviously in the back of my mind they know me from last year, we were able to work on things and get to a better point to be even better this year. Very excited to be back with the Dodgers, and part of that was in the back of my mind,” he said.
Treinen didn’t get back to his dominant form from three seasons ago, but improved from a down 2019. His ERA and WHIP were both reduced, and ground ball rate went up.
“It was more or less, ‘Hey, here’s your strengths, here’s how you accomplish those strengths.’ As opposed to maybe lucking into some mechanic things over the years,” Treinen said.
“Understanding it now, the science side of things, like why does my body work better in these positions? That’s kind of what they brought to the table, was the moving patterns that allow me to be more free and have success.”
Treinen sought security
Despite signing a one-year deal last offseason, Treinen said he wasn’t overly focused on receiving multiple years in his newest contract.
“I think any time you have the ability to somewhat control your market you want to do the best you can,” Treinen acknowledged. “I don’t think it’s chasing money, just security is nice.
“Knowing where you’re going to be for the next few years is always a nice perk. As many years as we could’ve gotten was the goal. The Dodgers were great with working with us. I’m really, really thankful to Andrew and the ownership for making this happen.”
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