NEW YORK -- Tom Koehler, who opened the season as the Marlins' No. 3 starter, was traded to the Blue Jays on Saturday for right-handed pitching prospect Osman Gutierrez and cash considerations. Gutierrez will join Class A Greensboro's rotation.
Koehler, 31, had been a fixture in the Marlins' rotation since 2013, but the right-hander struggled in 12 big league starts in '17, going 1-5 with a 7.92 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. He spent several months at Triple-A New Orleans.
"It kind of speaks to the season," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "Obviously, this season, we counted on Tom to be one of our mainstays in the rotation. That didn't work out a couple of different times."
An 18th-round pick from Stony Brook University in 2008, Koehler went on the disabled list -- from May 18-June 14 -- with right shoulder bursitis following his May 16 start against the Astros, when he surrendered eight runs in three innings. When Koehler came off the DL, he was optioned to New Orleans.

Miami recalled Koehler on July 1 at Milwaukee, and in 1 2/3 innings, he was charged with seven runs. He made three more starts, with his last appearance for the Marlins coming on July 23 at Cincinnati, where he allowed six runs (five earned) in 5 2/3 innings
The Marlins optioned Koehler to New Orleans a second time after compiling a 9.87 ERA over 17 1/3 frames in four July starts.
At New Orleans, Koehler started to get into a groove. In seven games (six starts), he posted a 1-1 record with a 1.67 ERA, with 55 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings.
Koehler is making $5.75 million this year, and he's arbitration-eligible in 2018 before qualifying for free agency in '19.

The Marlins are looking in another direction, aiming to get as much organizational pitching depth as possible.
Gutierrez, 22, is 4-11 with a 7.85 ERA in 18 starts at Class A Lansing. The right-hander has 71 strikeouts and 52 walks in 78 innings. He possesses a fastball in the 96-mph range.
From 2013-16, Koehler threw no fewer than 143 innings ('13) and set a career high with 191 1/3 ('14). He also recorded three straight seasons of at least 30 starts ('14-16).
"He's been a guy in the organization who fought his way through," Mattingly said. "Maybe a change of scenery is going to be something that's good for him."