Treinen No Longer in Green and Gold, but He’s Delighted by Athletics Success
When they’re looking for free agents during the off-season, the Oakland Athletics should bring along Tuesday’s video from Blake Treinen as Reason No. 1 as to why you should want to play for the A’s
Treinen won’t be a candidate for Oakland; he likes being where he is with the Dodgers. But as the A’s closer from mid-2017 through early 2019 and the owner of a 9-2 record, a 0.78 ERA and 38 saves in his breakout 2018 season, loved his time with the A’s and says Oakland is just a good place to play.
Treinen has enjoyed stops with the Nationals, the A’s and now the Dodgers. He’s been to the postseason with the first two, and the Dodgers will be there this year. There was, he said, something special in Oakland “for me personally in that everybody in Oakland was genuinely wanting the next guy to do better than themselves.”
“And that’s what made that team great,” Treinen said. “A lot of people had career years both in 2018 and 2019. So that’s what that team is like – Oakland vs. the world, right? Those guys rally around the negative. When you think about it, it’s an old stadium (the Coliseum), it’s like people go there for careers to be resurrected.
“Well, now they’ve got this youth movement, and they’ve got a happy blend of these talented veterans, and it’s like all of them together versus the world. And that’s what makes them so good on top of their talent.”
Treinen, who was in the postseason in 2018 with Oakland, a showing that was all too brief with the A’s being eliminated the wild card game, seemed to take great pleasure in the A’s AL West title.
“They took a chance on me when I was on my way out in D.C.,” Treinen said. “It’s a little bittersweet, having been able tot play they and seeing the success they’ve had this year. I’m so happy for those guys, the coach staff and the players. Those guys are having great years.
“And the success they’ve had is exactly what they’ve worked for the last three years when I was there. So, seeing it come to fruition for them to win a division, I couldn’t be happier for them. I miss those guys.”
Treinen was the closer before Liam Hendriks took over for the A’s last year, his numbers spiked, and at the end of the season, with Hendriks at the top of his game, the A’s opted against bringing Treinen back, and the Dodgers picked him up to back up closer Kenley Jansen.
His best friend in the A’s bullpen, Lou Trivino, also went from dominant in 2018 to middling in 2019. But Trivino was close to making the league minimum, not the $10 million the Dodgers gave him, so keeping Trivino over Treinen was the predictable call.
But a part of Treinen remains attached to the A’s. He and Trivino talk with some regularity, and Treinen says he is looking forward to seeing him to see which of them has the best beard. (Hint: it’s not Treinen).
“Very seldom do you get to run across someone like Lou, someone that you can have a good friendship with and talk about things on and off the field,” Treinen said. “Lou’s a good kid and I think last year was such a weird year and we went through ups and downs as players.
“I think Lou is a very talented individual and will have, god willing with health and all that, plenty of years ahead of him. Last year was just a learning blip on the radar. The A’s are very lucky to have him. I mean, a lot of those guys over there, shoot that bullpen is having a great year.”
Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3
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