Despaigne was traded to the Orioles on Thursday in exchange for minor league pitcher Jean Cosme, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
Despaigne may have the opportunity to compete for a rotation spot this spring, but a long-relief role probably represents his most realistic path to the Opening Day roster. He struggled badly in San Diego last season, posting a 5.80 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 125.2 innings, with 18 of his 34 appearances coming as a starter. Despaigne's inability to miss bats -- 5.4 K/9 for his career -- becomes an even bigger issue with the move out of San Diego and into the AL East.