PHOENIX — With second baseman Chase Utley still technically not yet officially aboard — Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Wednesday that a deal with Utley was “close” — the Dodgers have still only signed just one free agent to a major league deal this offseason. That man is Tom Koehler, who has embraced his new relief role.
Koehler has been a starter for the bulk of six major league seasons, starting 132 games from 2013-17. Outside of making seven of his eight appearances in 2012 out of the bullpen, then pitching six games in relief to start 2013, Koehler was a starter through and through with the Marlins.