UPDATE (Feb. 19, 8:40 a.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signing of Louis Coleman to a one-year contract.
Brandon McCarthy, recovering from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 60-day disabled list to clear room for Coleman on the 40-man roster.
The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the offseason facing multiple questions on their pitching staff, with the starting rotation receiving the bulk of attention. Zack Greinke’s free agency ultimately ended with him signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Los Angeles replacing the right-hander with Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda.
As for the bullpen, the Dodgers were linked to free agents Darren O’Day and Ryan Madson, among others. O’Day re-signed with the Baltimore Orioles and Madson signed with the Oakland Athletics.
Los Angeles then had a trade in place to acquire closer Aroldis Chapman, but that came undone as a report surfaced detailing Chapman’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence incident.
He was later traded to the New York Yankees. The Dodgers addressed their bullpen last month by signing Joe Blanton, who enjoyed success as a reliever with the Kansas City Royals last season.
The Dodgers appear to have added another former Royals relief pitcher, as Louis Coleman signed a one-year contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
Source: Free-agent reliever Louis Coleman will receive $750,000 in his one-year deal with the #Dodgers, as first reported by @DevanFink.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 19, 2016
The right-hander spent last season with the Royals and the organization’s Triple-A Omaha affiliate. In 38 games with the Storm Chasers, Coleman was 8-2 with nine saves, a 1.69 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and averaged 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Coleman tossed three scoreless innings and had one strikeout across four outings with the Royals. In parts of five seasons with Kansas City, he was 6-4 with two saves, a 3.20 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 1.25 WHIP and averaged 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 152 games (177.1 innings).
Coleman will turn 30 years old on April 4, which is Opening Day for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have not yet announced the signing, but will need to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster. One plausible option is placing Brandon McCarthy on the 60-day disabled list.
