After a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading back to the World Series as they look to defend their title and take home the Commissioner’s Trophy for the second year in a row. It’s difficult to find many flaws with the Dodgers roster at the moment, but LA may be forced to make a rather drastic move heading into the World Series.
Blake Treinen, who’s become the scapegoat among a certain section of Dodgers fans, could be left off the World Series roster altogether. Treinen’s numbers on the season were unimpressive, and his shaky performance during the postseason has some Dodgers fans afraid to include him on the World Series roster. But it’s not as if the Dodgers have much of a choice.
Dodgers could make drastic World Series roster decision and leave Blake Treinen off the roster
Treinen is far from the lockdown, back-of-the-bullpen arm that most contending teams turn to with the game on the line. But given the lack of options, he’s far from LA’s only issue.
The Dodgers thought so little of Emmet Sheehan that he didn’t even toe the rubber during the their four-game sweep of the Brewers. He was lit up by the Philadelphia Phillies during the NLDS, giving up two runs on four hits. He also surrendered two runs on two hits during the Dodgers’ Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Tanner Scott, the Dodgers’ big-time free agent acquisition this past offseason, was left off Los Angeles’ NLCS roster altogether. LA could turn to the left-hander instead of Treinen, but given his track record during the regular season (1-4 4.74 ERA) and the fact that Scott hasn’t stepped onto the mound since September 27, it seems unlikely that he’ll make the cut.
Anthony Banda and Roki Sasaki have been Roberts’ best options out of the bullpen during the playoffs, and Alex Vesia has handled his own business against opposing left-handers, but the Dodgers don’t have much beyond those three arms.
Treinen may not be lockdown reliever Dodgers fans want him to be, and if you so choose, you can make the case that he doesn’t belong on the World Series roster. However, there aren’t many reliable options behind him, and Treinen may represent the best of a bunch of bad options.
