Kirby Yates gets honest about Blake Treinen's pitching arsenal while advocating 'filthy' depth in Dodgers bullpen
The LA Dodgers bullpen was one of the key reasons why the team was able to eliminate the San Diego Padres after being pushed to the brink of elimination in the 2024 NLDS.
They managed to bolster it further by adding Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates this offseason. The latter is in awe of veteran reliever Blake Treinen as he learns things on the fly.
During an interview during the 2025 Tokyo Series that pitching analyst Rob Friedman posted on Sunday, Yates expressed admiration for Treinen’s remarkable skill set, admitting that he views Treinen in a different class altogether. He also believes the Dodgers got their hands on a "filthy" bullpen pitching staff.
"I always feel like the hitters are really good," Yates said. "You know what I mean? Every time I make a bad pitch, it gets hit. So, it's like, you always feel like you gotta be on your good game. But I'm not in the same category as Blake, I don't think. Because I watch the stuff that he throws, and it's pretty crazy."
Blake Treinen's elite pitching arsenal
Blake Treinen has been one of the best relievers in the majors for the last couple of seasons. He pitched in 50 games in 2024, posting a 7-3 record, 1.93 ERA and 56 strikeouts. In the Dodgers postseason run, he recorded two saves in the NLDS.
This is why the Dodgers awarded him with a two-year, $22 million extension in December.
According to Baseball Savant, Treinen's pitching arsenal from the past season and now includes three important pitches: Sweeper, sinker and four-seam fastball.
Treinen’s sweeper was used 38.5% of the time last season.
Meanwhile, his sinker has induced groundballs regularly. In 2025, his sinker velocity has increased to 96.6 mph, slightly higher than 2024’s 94.6 mph. Though the groundball rate has dipped slightly to 50.0% in 2025 from 55.7% in 2024, Treinen’s sinker remains an effective pitch to induce weak contact and limit damage.
Treinen’s cutter was used sparingly in 2024, accounting for 16.1% of his pitches. However, it was his least effective pitch, allowing a .375 batting average and a .575 expected slugging percentage.
His four-seam fastball has shown the most improvement in 2025. Treinen has increased its usage to 18.8%, generating a 50.0% whiff rate. The velocity has also ticked up slightly to 94.9 mph. In contrast, his four-seamer in 2024 was used just 11.1% of the time and yielded a .250 batting average.