Coming off a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers have returned the majority of their core and enter the 2018 season with the same championship aspirations.
While the club didn’t make a splashy acquisition during the offseason, it continued searching for undervalued players that could potentially make an impact down the road. One such signing to fit that mold was the addition of Tom Koehler on a one-year contract.
The team hoped for Koehler to potentially emerge as the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen, much like Joe Blanton and Brandon Morrow, both of whom previously were starters as well, did in recent seasons.
Unfortunately, those plans came to a halt when Koehler suffered a mild strain of his anterior capsule in his right shoulder — sidelining him for weeks, if not months.
Despite the setback, Koehler is optimistic he’ll return later this season and help the club chase a World Series title, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“This doesn’t change my goal on the season, it just delays it a little bit. I came here to help this team win a World Series. If it starts later, so be it. I hope an impact can be made on the back end and the middle. They’ll be able to pick up the slack for sure.”
In the wake of Koehler’s injury, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman downplayed the notion of adding a pitcher to the organization via free agency or trade.
With Koehler on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Dodgers still have a talented group of relievers to help replace his production and potentially claim the eighth inning role.
Among some options include left-handers Scott Alexander and Tony Cingrani, and right-handers Pedro Baez and Yimi Garcia. Manager Dave Roberts revealed the Dodgers’ intention of carrying an eight-man bullpen during the regular season, so there will be plenty of candidates to choose from.
