PHILADELPHIA – Blake Treinen hasn’t picked up a baseball in weeks. But the Dodgers want him to be part of their bullpen again in 2023.
The Dodgers reached agreement on a one-year contract extension with Treinen Sunday even as the veteran right-hander is sidelined by an ill-defined shoulder injury.
The new deal essentially replaces the club option in the two-year, $17.5 million contract Treinen signed before last season. It will pay the veteran reliever the same $8 million salary next season that the option would have guaranteed, giving Treinen some security as he tries to return from his shoulder injury. The Dodgers and Treinen have also agreed to a conditional option that could bring him back for the 2024 season depending on his 2022 and 2023 seasons play out.
Treinen (who will turn 34 next month) has been the Dodgers’ best and most valuable reliever since joining the team as a free agent in 2020. Over the past two seasons, Treinen made 99 appearances – often taking on the heart of the opposing team’s lineup – with a 2.48 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 98 innings.
He made just three appearances before going on the Injured List with a sore shoulder this season, however, and has not pitched since April 14. Treinen is currently resting the shoulder and is not expected back until after the All-Star break.
The Dodgers end their current road trip with four games in Arizona next week. Treinen is expected to join them there and have his status re-evaluated.
