The Dodgers, under Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, have developed the reputation of being minimalists when it comes to signing players on the open market. They have even made it clear over the course of this off-season that the goal is to find pitchers that will not require big contracts but will make a big impact on the field. They may have found the low profile / high reward player they were looking for in recently signed right-hander Tom Koehler.

Koehler is, at this point in his career, considered a veteran pitcher. Having made his debut with the Miami Marlins back in 2012, the 31-year-old righty has done his fair share of pitching. But for as experienced as he may be, Koehler has yet to find consistent success from season to season.

Over the past six campaigns Koehler’s ERA+ has never broken 100, a mark he should have achieved at least once over six years. For those unfamiliar with what ERA+ is, it is an analytics-based measuring tool for pitchers. It takes out the “bad luck runs” and / or ballpark flaws in calculating earned run average and puts it in a numerical scale of whole numbers. To be considered average, a pitcher must have an ERA+ of 100 but can usually get away with something in the high 90’s (97-99). Koehler’s best ERA+ output since his MLB debut in September of 2012 is 97, and that was in 2014.

I know what you may be thinking, that was a lame way to talk up a pitcher. Allow me to fix that. Koehler’s future with the Dodgers is not as a regular member of the rotation. He has not been terribly impressive as a starter and the Dodgers know this. The reason Tom was brought onto the the team’s 40-man roster is to contribute as a relief pitcher, a role that he has recently found success in. This story of a middle-of-the-road starter moving to the ‘pen and finding success should excite Dodger fans, as they saw it last season with Brandon Morrow, who was nothing short of outstanding.

The Dodgers are hoping that Koehler will fill the enormous void in their bullpen after losing Brandon Morrow to free agency. (Photo credit – Kim Klement)

Out of the bullpen, Koehler is a whole new pitcher. Last year with the Blue Jays, He saw most of his innings out of the ‘pen rather than in the rotation. In 14 relief appearances, Koehler had an ERA of 3.00, a WHIP of 1.250, and a strikeouts-per-nine-innings increase from 7.6 to 8.3. His four-seam fastball saw a velocity increase of roughly two miles per hour and was consistently in the mid-90’s as compared to his starting pitcher fastball of just 91-92 mph.

Koehler will likely prove to be an asset for Dave Roberts, as he will now have a second reliever capable of pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen (Ross Stripling being the other). Roberts has shown that he likes to use the same guy for more than just one frame, as it saves the other arms in his bullpen while keeping someone he can trust out on the mound. Koehler can also bounce into the rotation if a spot starter is needed.

Also worth noting here is that Koehler’s contract is extremely team friendly. The baseline deal that was agreed upon is for one year and just two million dollars guaranteed. Koehler can add to that two million by achieving certain incentivized milestones either as a starter or a reliever. If he pitches in 60 games out of the bullpen he will receive an extra $500,000, and if he makes 25 total starts for the Dodgers, he will receive an additional $1.25 million.

Tom Koehler brings an interesting possibility to the already strong Dodgers roster. He has shown that he has the skills to be a relief pitcher and can make spot starts for the team when needed. On top of his baseball abilities, Koehler’s contract is extremely disposable at just two million dollars and can easily be dumped or traded if things do not work out. But, what remains to be seen and what should have Dodger fans excited is whether or not Koehler will be the next under-the-radar surprise for their beloved team.