Padres sign Cuban pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne
Koji Watanabe / Getty
The San Diego Padres have dipped into the international free agent pot and signed right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne.
padres sign Cuban rhp Odrisamer Despaigne to $1M deal
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 2, 2014
The 27-year-old spent eight seasons in Cuba's Serie Nacional, posting a 61-43 record to go with a 3.55 ERA and 684 strikeouts in 213 games.
Despaigne, who defected in 2013 during a tournament in Europe, attended Padres skills camp in February and featured a changeup, slider and cut fastball that topped out at 95 mph during his 35-pitch session.