Dave Roberts had unfiltered criticism for Blake Treinen after bleak Dodgers outing

The three faces of the Dodgers' bullpen collapse last year — Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Blake Treinen — made a combined $40 million in season, only to throw a combined 125 innings for a 5.04 ERA.

Reliever volatility is natural, and it's really on the Dodgers for giving new additions Scott and Yates that much money with short track records of success, but Treinen's struggles were baffling after two solid seasons of work in LA in 2021 and 2024 (he lost most of 2022 and all of 2023 to injury).

He came off of a major shoulder surgery in 2024 and spent some time on the IL that season with other issues, but he managed to post a 1.93 ERA in 46 2/3 innings. In 2025? A 5.40 ERA in 26 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers didn't actually do that much for their bullpen this offseason outside of getting Edwin Díaz, but that's a perfect example of quality over quantity. They let Yates walk and are betting on bounce back years from Scott and Treinen.

Scott is doing very well in spring training so far, pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Treinen, on the other hand ... 10.80 ERA in five innings. But that doesn't even fully explain how bad he's been.

After a relief appearance against the Brewers on Monday, in which he hit his first batter, gave up a grand slam, then gave up a double and another walk before getting out of the inning, Dave Roberts was uncharacteristically critical of his longtime reliever.

"I don't see confidence. The execution is not there," he said. "It's been three or four outings consistently not throwing the baseball the way we expect. There's no conviction."

Dave Roberts didn't hold back on criticism of Blake Treinen after another bad showing in Dodgers spring training

Roberts dismissed the idea that an injury was factoring into Treinen's struggles. "I just don’t see him with clarity right now," he said. "The misses that we are seeing from him are truly uncharacteristic ... I know [pitching coach Mark Prior] feels the same way."

If the Dodgers were going to cut Treinen, they probably would have (or should have) last season or in the offseason. They owe him $13.5 million this year, which isn't money that even the Dodgers want to just throw away, and they have a track record of standing by and taking care of their veterans — sometimes to their detriment.

So he'll most likely end up on the Opening Day roster, but if he continues to struggle, maybe he'll finally force their hands.

On top of Díaz, the Dodgers are counting on respectable follow-up seasons from Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, and Justin Wrobleski. Edgardo Henriquez, who isn't likely to make the Opening Day roster, will be another good depth option to stash in Triple-A if he can get his command issues under control. The Dodgers will need to find a way to get River Ryan and Gavin Stone some major league innings.

So the Dodgers have options if Treinen continues to flail. And if Roberts, a guy who's usually not so frank when his players are struggling, isn't convinced right now, it's not a good sign for the rest of Treinen's season.