Red Sox: Five potential closer options to target in free agency
By Sean Penney
Red Sox free agent target – Blake Treinen
Blake Treinen was the best reliever in baseball in 2018 when he posted a ridiculous 0.78 ERA and 0.834 WHIP. The former A’s closer notched 38 saves that year and finished sixth on the AL Cy Young ballot.
The follow-up to that breakout campaign was a disaster, as Treinen produced a 4.91 ERA while dealing with a sprained rotator cuff that landed him on the injured list. Known for his tendency to keep the ball on the ground, Treinen’s home run rates jumped to a career-high 1.4 HR/9 and 16.4% HR/FB.
Treinen got his home run issues under control this year, allowing only one in 25 2/3 innings for a minuscule 0.4 HR/9. He led major league relievers with a 64 percent groundball rate (minimum 20 innings pitched), indicating he’s back on track. The result was a much more tolerable 3.86 ERA in 27 appearances as a setup man for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
One concern is that his strikeout rate dipped to 7.7 K/9 from 9.1 K/9 last year, which was down from his 2018 peak when he posted an 11.2 K/9. He’s still pumping his fastball at over 97 mph though and he offset the lack of strikeouts by limiting walks with a 2.8 BB/9.
A solid season helped Treinen re-establish some value but he shouldn’t be too expensive considering he wasn’t a closer this year and the stench of his disappointing 2019 campaign might still be lingering.