Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez was supposed to be the first signing that signaled that the Philadelphia Phillies had joined the 21st century in terms of being able to nab international talent. Instead, the Cuban pitcher turned out to be a classic example of why international signings are often viewed as high-risk, high-reward transactions.
The Phillies released Gonzalez this afternoon, after two seasons in the organization, according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
#Phillies release 29-year-old RHP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, whom they signed out of Cuba in Aug. 2013. Shoulder trouble derailed career.
— Matt Eddy (@MattEddyBA) April 1, 2016
The Havana native signed with the Phillies during the summer of 2013. Though he initially agreed to a six-year pact, concerns over his physical caused the Phillies to back off their original deal and instead sign him to a three-year/$12 million deal.
Gonzalez was originally a starting pitcher, but the Phillies transitioned him into a reliever during his time in the minor leagues in 2014. Gonzalez made it to the major leagues after an impressive (albeit brief) stint at Triple-A in 2014, but struggled mightily, posting a 6.75 ERA in six big-league appearances.
Those six appearances turned out to be his only for the Phillies, as he didn't make the club out of Spring Training in 2015, when the Phillies again hoped he could become a starting pitcher.
After not making the club, the Phillies did have to put Gonzalez through waivers to take him off of the 40-man roster, but unsurprisingly he wasn't claimed given his high price-tag.
Gonzalez wasn't invited to big-league camp this year after only pitching in six games at various levels of the minor leagues last year.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
