Dodgers could soon lose $8 million World Series hero to Cubs in free agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't had much go wrong for them since Game 3 of the National League Division Series, but free agency could knock them down a peg or two.

Last winter, everything the Dodgers touched turned to gold. The headliner was the $700 million deal for Shohei Ohtani, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernández, and Tyler Glasnow were marquee additions that all paid dividends as well.

One savvy move they made the previous offseason made an enormous difference, too. The Dodgers had signed relief pitcher Blake Treinen to an $8 million deal with a $1 million club option for 2024. They exercised that option and the rest, as they say, is history.

After Treinen served as the de facto closer on the Dodgers' World Series-winning roster, LA now has to decide whether or not to bring Treinen back. And this time, they won't have the option of offering him just $1 million.

Competition could be fierce for such a proven veteran reliever on the open market, too. Recently, Zach Pressnell of FanSided named the Chicago Cubs as a team that could threaten the Dodgers' chances of keeping Treinen this winter.

"The Cubs have an opportunity to fill the gaping hole at closer with a very reliable veteran coming off one of his best seasons yet. This best season includes a 1.93 ERA, 1.4 WAR, seven wins and a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers," Pressnell said.

"Giving Treinen the clear-cut role as a closer would be a solid selling point, but Chicago can also keep their hands clean with a one- or two-year contract worth a lot less money than players like Tanner Scott or Carlos Estevez are rumored to get." 

Treinen, 36, is in the twilight of his career, but he's proven he still has something in the tank. He can certainly expect a raise on his 2024 salary, and though the Dodgers are bigger spenders than the Cubs nowadays, one never knows who the highest bidder will be on a one-year contract.

Should the Dodgers do everything in their power to keep Treinen out of Chicago's grasp? That's a question for Andrew Friedman and the front office to ponder in the coming weeks.