In theory, a bullpen featuring Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino and Liam Hendriks (the current iteration) is one of the best in baseball.
Add Jake Diekman — which the Oakland A’s did Saturday morning in a trade with the Kansas City Royals — and that bullpen transforms into a behemoth.
Right now, this untouchable bullpen is just a barely tangible concept. Off his injury Treinen is still struggling with his command and Trivino is just finding his footing as the stable late-inning force he was not long ago.
The A’s bullpens’ vulnerabilities have been exposed of late — particularly when Hendriks was used for a five out save amid a three-appearance sequence in Minnesota that culminated in his first blown save.