The Los Angeles Dodgers overhauled their bullpen again this offseason to try and make it more effective. But Blake Treinen wants Dodgers fans to remember he is still there.
Treinen opened up about improving on his awful 2025 season and remaining a high-leverage reliever in front of new closer Edwin Diaz this season.
Though failed closer Tanner Scott bore the brunt of the ire from Dodgers fans, Treinen was actually worse in his 26 2/3 innings last year. The righty went 2-7 with a 5.40 ERA and minus-0.6 bWAR with three blown saves in 32 regular-season appearances and pitched to a 6.75 ERA in his 5 1/3 postseason innings.
Blake Treinen is Making Adjustments
Treinen, who will turn 38 on June 30, is entering the final year of his two-year, $22 million contract he signed after the Dodgers won the World Series over the New York Yankees in 2024.
He said he feels great and is focused on making some subtle tweaks to get better outcomes this year.
“I feel good. My body feels good. This is a game of adjustments,” Treinen told DodgerHeads, a part of the Dodger Blue YouTube channel. “So [I’m] trying to find ways to get better and be a better version of [myself]. So far it’s been going well.”
When asked to expand on what he is adjusting, Treinen refused to get into specifics.
“The game has gotten so wild, and people are hearing what they’re trying to work on,” Treinen said. “The details are very broad, so I’d rather keep the tweaks in house.”
Though Treinen has been in big-league camps for more than a decade, he still is focused on making his time in spring training count.
“I still feel like [spring training] is [important],” Treinen said. “For me, I’ve constantly wanted to come in and prove myself and show that I’m worthy to be on the club.”
Blake Treinen Isn’t Worried About His 2025 Struggles
Treinen is saying all the right things, and bullpen successes can be year to year. In 2024, Treinen was one of the Dodgers’ best relievers, since he went 7-3 with a miniscule 1.93 ERA while setting up for Evan Phillips and Daniel Hudson.
He also locked down three postseason saves and went 2-0 in the World Series, picking up victories in Games 1 and 5 against the Yankees.
But Treinen had a hard time getting batters out in 2025, proven by his career-worst 1.84 WHIP and .835 OPS against. But he is moving on from those struggles ahead of his seventh year with the Dodgers.
“Nobody in this organization, in the seven years I’ve been here, has ever focused on negatives,” Treinen said to the California Post. “Some teams might be like, ‘I can’t act like I did last year. I can’t do what I did last year.’ But we’re not gonna live in the past. Nobody lives in the past.
“There’s still a lot to improve on. But that’s good, when I feel like I was OK but the results were good.”
But Treinen is also committed to helping the young pitchers within the organization, including Diaz. The Dodgers’ relievers are young and may have something to learn from the 13-year vet.
“I’m a byproduct of the people who have invested into me,” Treinen said. “If people have questions, I’m an open book.”
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