Dodgers News: Reliever Torches League for Rule Changes

Blake Treinen didn't pull any punches when it came to to discussing MLB's rule changes over the last several years.

Oct 25, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Blake Treinen (49) reacts after striking out Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames (not pictured) to end the ninth inning of game five of the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field. The Los Angeles Dodgers won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Blake Treinen, the right-handed reliever, who’s currently on the 60-day injured list, sat down with AM570’s David Vassegh this week for an interview. The Dodgers reporter asked for his thoughts on the changes being implemented in Triple-A and MLB thinking about bringing said changes up to the majors in the future. 

“Leave them there and get rid of them. We don’t need any more changes in baseball.”.

Treinen continued.

“There’s so many of the them you can’t even keep up with them anymore. Let’s just keep baseball the way it is. I’m so sick of everybody trying to put their fingerprint on the game. Your fingerprint should be: the way you play on the field, the way you treat people in the clubhouse, and the way you manage games.”

The former AL All-Star feels if the rule changes and other tweaks to the game are put into effect, baseball could dramatically change. For Treinen, that seems to be a problem.

“If you want to invest in things to have a good product that’s fine, but if you’re going to try to tweak the rules, the way they’re doing, I won’t be able to teach my kids the same game I grew up playing.”

What Treinen fails to see is that the game he grew up playing was not the same game as when his father grew up nor his father before him. Baseball is ever-evolving. It has to adapt and grow and keep up with player safety standards, commercial breaks, and short attention spans so yes, that means change.

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Currently, in the minors, the pitch clock, larger bases, defensive position requirement, and expanded automatic ball-strike system are all in the experimentation phase. Although not every change is implemented at every level and not everyone will be happy with those that are, it is a taste of what baseball is experimenting with to try to increase the sport’s overall popularity which can only be done if the league adapts and grows as it has since the beginning.