JUPITER, Fla. — The Nationals reduced the competition for their final bullpen spot by one this morning, re-assigning Blake Treinen to minor-league camp.
Treinen had been among the biggest revelations of the spring, a right-hander who, in the words of manager Matt Williams, throws “an easy 97″ mph. Acquired from the Athletics as part of the Jan. 2013 three-team trade that sent Michael Morse to the Mariners, Treinen started 20 games at Double-A Harrisburg last season and posted a 3.64 ERA.
Treinen pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in his first big-league spring training, posting a 4.66 ERA in six appearances. There’s a chance the Nationals will stretch him out to start again now that he’s headed back to the minors (likely Triple-A Syracuse) but some in the organization also believe he could become a highly effective short reliever once he reaches the majors.
People were interested in these podcasts
With Treinen out of the mix, the battle for the final spot in the Nationals’ bullpen comes down to right-handers Aaron Barrett, Ryan Mattheus (who missed most of camp with a chest injury and likely won’t be ready in time for Opening Day) and Tanner Roark (who is also competing for the No. 5 starter’s job), plus left-handers Xavier Cedeno and Michael Gonzalez.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.