Blake Treinen agrees to Dodgers contract extension, but will he pitch again in 2022?
PHILADELPHIA — It’s uncertain when, or if, Blake Treinen will pitch again this season.
After Sunday, however, there’s no question about what uniform the reliever will be wearing next year.
The Dodgers announced they signed Treinen to a one-year contract extension. According to multiple people with knowledge of the situation, the reliever will be paid $8 million, essentially guaranteeing the 2023 club option that was already on his current contract. The new deal also includes a conditional option for 2024.
A costly error by second baseman Max Muncy allows the Philadelphia Phillies to score two runs in a walk-off win over the Dodgers in the 10th inning.
One person with knowledge of the situation said Treinen’s potential compensation for 2024 would be based on time missed for specific injuries. There’s a scenario where the 33-year-old right-hander could be a free agent after next season, as well.
Treinen is currently on the 60-day injured list rehabilitating an undisclosed shoulder injury. He has been ruled out until after the All-Star break, though manager Dave Roberts said earlier this month the hope is that the high-leverage reliever will be back in time for the team’s “stretch run.”
One person Sunday said there is a “decent” chance Treinen returns this season. However, there remains a real possibility he misses the remainder of the campaign too.
Treinen’s injury — which has only been publicly disclosed as shoulder inflammation — was initially believed to be minor. He felt some shoulder discomfort after his third outing of the year last month, and hoped it would improve with a few days of rest. When it didn’t, he was placed on the injured list and had an MRI exam that Roberts said revealed no structural damage.
Treinen had been scheduled for another doctor’s visit a couple weeks ago, but ended up not going. Instead, he began rehabbing, telling reporters that while the discomfort had subsided, his injury was still “more of a conviction thing.”
“I’m taking it day by day to get myself right,” Treinen added. “When the conviction comes back and I can start throwing, we’ll go from there.”
Mookie Betts homered among three hits, threw out a runner and survived an injury scare for the Dodgers, who won 7-4 for a seventh straight victory.
Sunday’s news removes one of the uncertainties surrounding Treinen, who last season performed like one of baseball’s best relievers in his second season as the Dodgers’ setup man.
The team originally signed Treinen, a former All-Star closer with the Oakland Athletics, to a one-year, $10-million deal in 2020, then re-signed him to a two-year, $17.5-million deal before the start of last year that included the $8-million club option for 2023, or a $1.5-million buyout.
Sunday’s news will give both Treinen and the team more clarity about his long-term future — even if his status for the rest of this season remains up in the air.
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