Former Padres Pitcher Elects to Sign in Korea

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Vince Velasquez (38) throws in the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 30, 2021. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Vince Velasquez's days in the Cleveland Guardians' organization are over.

His days in affiliated baseball in North America might be over, too.

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The former San Diego Padres pitcher, 33, is headed to the Korea Baseball Organization after Cleveland sold his contract to the Lotte Giants, who will send cash back in return. The move likely guarantees Velasquez a payday above what his minor-league deal with the Guardians would’ve offered.

Right-hander Vince Velasquez's contract has been sold to the Lotte Giants in Korea. Velasquez went 5-4 with a 3.42 ERA in 18 starts for Triple-A Columbus. G's invited him to ST on minor league deal as he recovered from TJ surgery.

— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) August 6, 2025

Velasquez went 0-3 in four starts with the Padres in 2021. He allowed 15 hits and 12 earned runs in only 12.2 innings (8.53 ERA) as a late-season rotation stopgap.

The Padres were 75-65 on Sept. 8, 2021, but went 4-18 to end the season — stunningly falling out of Wild Card position and finishing below .500 in the process.

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It wasn't all Velasquez's fault, though neither he nor veteran right-hander Jake Arrieta (0-3, 10.95 ERA in four starts) did a thing to stem the bleeding.

Velasquez hasn’t seen a big-league mound since 2023. Cleveland briefly called him up in late April, only to designate him for assignment days later without an appearance. He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, where he’s spent the year grinding through 81.2 innings with a 3.42 ERA.

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Velasquez was averaging fewer than 4.2 innings per start, though some of that was by design. Coming off June 2023 elbow surgery that cost him all of 2024, the Guardians cautiously held him to 4.1 innings or fewer until late May.

Lately, he’s shown stamina: seven of his past 12 starts have reached the sixth inning, and he’s averaged exactly 5 innings per outing in that stretch.

Velasquez, the Astros’ 58th overall pick in 2010, carries a career 4.88 ERA across nine MLB seasons, spanning 763.2 innings with a 24.9 percent strikeout rate and 9.3 percent walk rate.

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The Montclair, California native enjoyed his best seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2016-21, going 30-40 with a 4.93 ERA in 133 games (116 starts). He's also pitched for the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates at the major league level.

This year, Velasquez has trended upward, posting a 3.17 ERA over his last 12 Triple-A starts. His fastball sits at 92.5 mph, down from his prime, but he’s mixed in a slider, knuckle curve, changeup, and sinker.

Now, the KBO becomes his next test. For Cleveland, it’s a low-risk cash grab. For Velasquez, it’s a paycheck, and maybe a path back to the big leagues.

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