Treinen's role uncertain in 2015

Blake Treinen was quite valuable in 2014 as the Nationals' sixth starter, the guy they called upon when one of their starting five landed on the disabled list or when they needed a spot start in a doubleheader.

In his first taste of the big leagues, Treinen impressed, posting a 3.00 ERA in his seven starts. He had trouble his third time through the order, but was still effective with his mid- to upper-90s sinker and mix of a changeup and breaking ball.

But when the Nationals needed Treinen's help out of the bullpen, he delivered there, as well. In eight relief appearances, spanning 14 2/3 innings, Treinen pitched to a 1.23 ERA, with 14 strikeouts and two walks.

The question now is which role Treinen will fill for the Nats in 2015.

As things stand right now, the rotation is set, with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark all under contract for this season. That could change, of course, should Zimmermann or Fister end up being dealt prior to opening day. But as of now, Treinen won't work his way into the Nats' starting five to open the season, barring an injury.

In the bullpen, one would think that six of the seven spots are already accounted for. Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Matt Thornton, Jerry Blevins, Craig Stammen and Aaron Barrett will return (again, unless a trade is swung before opening day), likely leaving one spot up for grabs.

Will Treinen be given a chance to compete for that job with the likes of Heath Bell, Xavier Cedeno, Matt Grace and others? Or will the Nats look to keep Treinen as a starter going into the season, again potentially calling upon him as the first guy up should they need a spot starter?

A lot of this might depend on how the Nats plan on using Treinen in the long term. Some scouts I've talked to see Treinen as a potentially dominant late-inning reliever because of his hard sinker and emerging off-speed stuff. There's a chance that Treinen's sinker could play up even more when he just needs to work an inning or two, potentially making him even tougher coming out of the 'pen.

But having depth in the rotation is important, as well, and Treinen has shown that he can be effective as a starter.

The Nats do have A.J. Cole as an emerging option out of the rotation, and Cole is highly thought of within the organization. Taylor Jordan could still serve as a sixth starter if needed, should he show in spring training that he's healthy and can return to his 2013 form. And don't be surprised if the Nats also end up signing a veteran starter to a minor league deal, someone who can fill that Ross Ohlendorf type of role of adding depth at Triple-A.

Treinen could be a force out of the bullpen. He could also emerge as a legitimate starter, should he fine-tune his off-speed pitches and be able to work deeper into games.

It will be interesting to see how the 26-year-old righty is used in 2015.