• Submitted by: lena campos
• Sports
• 07 / 27 / 2013

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Phillies land Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, reports say

The Philadelphia Phillies and 26-year-old Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez have reportedly agreed to a six-year contract worth $60 million, according to the Associated Press.

The deal will make Gonzalez, who has a fastball that peaks in the upper 90s, the highest-paid international player.

Gonzalez pitched for the Cuban national team during the World Cup of Baseball in 2009 and 2011, but defected and had been working out in Tijuana, Mexico, where scouts from teams across the league -- including the Dodgers -- went to observe the right-hander.

Gonzalez will spend some time in the minor leagues but is expected to be called up before the end of the season, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.

The Phillies are nine games behind the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves and are in the midst of a six-game losing streak.

Fuente: LA Times.com