On the day after hearing the Dodgers losing out to the Yankees in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes, Blake Treinen provided a shimmer of light and hope to fans in need of reconciliation by signing a 1-year deal worth $10 million. This is a bit over what he was expecting to earn in arbitration but as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, this was in the range of what teams were lining up to pay him. With all the options on the table equally valued for Treinen to choose from, he picked the Dodgers.

The right-handed reliever had a fantastic 2018 season. Putting up the 6th highest recorded ERA+ (525) in a season by a reliever with at least 40 innings pitched in the live-ball era. Unfortunately, he came crashing down to earth the very next season with a well below average 88 ERA+ in 58.2 IP. Most pundits feel it was due to the injuries he sustained that he may have been playing with throughout the season. First was a right shoulder rotator cuff strain. Next was a back injury that an MRI revealed as a stress reaction.

On a 1 year deal, Treinen is definitely betting on himself to improve off last season and show the league that 2018 was no fluke. And with the help of the Dodgers development staff, it’s easy to predict that happening.

Oskar is a contributor to Dodgers-Lowdown. Follow him on Twitter @2rawsko94.