The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signing of Blake Treinen to a one-year contract, officially locking in their lone addition in what otherwise was an underwhelming Winter Meetings for the team.
Treinen agreed to a deal on Wednesday but needed to undergo a physical before it could be finalized. He joins the Dodgers on the heels of a subpar season and looking to re-establish himself as one of the best relief pitchers in baseball.
Treinen was an All-Star for the Oakland Athletics in 2018, when he went 9-2 with a career-best 0.78 ERA and 38 saves. He finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting and also garnered votes for MVP.
The 31-year-old appeared in 57 games this year but only recorded 16 saves, was 6-5 and sported a career-worst 4.91 ERA. His struggles amounted to a 1.62 WHIP and an average of nearly six walks per nine innings.
As a result the Athletics non-tendered him and Treinen immediately became a free agent. The signing is the type of deal the Dodgers have succeeded with in the past. Reports suggested Treinen chose the Dodgers over other teams who had interest.
Treinen isn’t far removed from being an elite reliever, and a return to that level — or close to it — would be a boon for the Dodgers.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman reiterated Kenley Jansen remains the team’s closer, but he acknowledged the Dodgers were mindful of finding a late-inning reliever this offseason.
Even with Treinen in the fold, L.A. has been linked to Dellin Betances. He too is coming off a down season — one in which he made just one appearance because of shoulder trouble and a partially torn Achilles tendon suffered upon returning.
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