The news that the Pittsburgh Pirates will select the contract of Domingo Germán is as puzzling as it was unexpected. The former New York Yankees pitcher, who was toiling for Triple-A Indianapolis, is expected to join the club for Friday night’s game in Los Angeles. Insider Mike Rodriguez was the first with this surprising piece of news.
Breaking News: According to my sources, the #Pittsburgh #Pirates have called up #DomingoGermán from Indianapolis to MLB. Germán has not pitched in the Major Leagues since July 31, 2023 and may make his first start of this season tomorrow against the Dodgers. #MLB pic.twitter.com/ojSxkNvVyk
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) August 9, 2024
Pirates Give Domingo Germán a Second Chance
The Pirates just finished a disappointing home stand, losing five of six to other National League Wild Card contenders. The addition of Germán comes as a surprise in that it doesn’t address any areas where the Pirates have proved to be deficient.
The likely impetus for this move was the fact that Germán had a clause that allowed him to opt out of his minor league contract if he wasn’t in the major leagues on August 9. The Pirates could then potentially lose him. This raises the question: So what?
Germán wasn’t dominating in Triple-A. In 13 starts, the 32-year-old right-hander was 6-4 with a 5.29 ERA and 1.426 WHIP. He surrendered 12 home runs in 68 innings. His 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings are nothing to scoff at, but his 4.1 walks per nine are a bit high. One wonders whether this was merely a defensive move to keep him from joining another pitching-starved Wild Card contender.
Regardless, the fact is that he’ll be a Pirate by Friday evening. The next question is how Germán fits on the Pirates staff.
How Will the Pirates Use Germán?
Rodriguez’s sources inform him that Germán could make his first start of the season on Friday night against the Dodgers. Mitch Keller, a stalwart who leads the Pirates with 10 wins and 132 1/3 innings pitched, is the scheduled starter. Stranger things have happened, but it’s preposterous that Keller would be skipped or pushed back for Germán.
If Germán is to be in the rotation at all, it’s more likely that he would replace Luis Ortiz. When he first joined the rotation in late June, Ortiz was a shining star, but lately, he’s struggled. Ortiz earned that starting berth with some solid work as a multi-inning reliever. He might be a welcome addition to a bullpen that’s been overworked and ineffective in recent days.
Even so, if Germán enters the Pirates rotation, his stay there would probably be temporary. Jared Jones began a rehab assignment at Indianapolis on Thursday night. Jones pitched 2 2/3 innings in Nashville on that evening and might be just one more, longer outing away from being reinstated with the big club. That could mean Germán will make just one start with Pittsburgh. Once Jones returns, Germán is unlikely to crack a rotation of Keller, Jones, Paul Skenes, Marco Gonzales, and Bailey Falter. That could change only if Germán’s performance is lights-out.
Still, the safer bet is that once Jones is back, Germán will slide into a long-relief role. That surely wasn’t what he was looking for when he signed with the Pirates. But at least he has an opportunity to show other clubs that he can pitch in the majors and that his troubles are behind him.
A Checkered Past with a Modicum of Success
Most baseball fans are familiar with a few disquieting incidents from Germán’s past while he was with the Yankees. He was suspended late in 2019 for violating Major League Baseball’s personal conduct policy. That suspension carried into 2020. In 2023, while allegedly under the influence of alcohol, he was involved in a clubhouse incident where he upset furniture, destroyed a TV, and had an angry confrontation with manager Aaron Boone. He then voluntarily submitted himself to treatment for alcohol abuse. The Yankees waived him in November and he became a free agent. Germán then signed a minor league contract with the Pirates in March. He exercised an opt-out clause in July and re-upped with Pittsburgh a few days later.
Meanwhile, he’s been a serviceable major-league starting pitcher. Germán is best known for pitching a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics on June 28, 2023. In six years with the Yankees, he was 31-28 with a 4.41 ERA. His 1.177 WHIP and opponents .228/.292/.430 slash line suggest he pitched better than those rather pedestrian stats might indicate. Additionally, his strikeout and walk percentages (24.9 and 7.4, respectively) were better than the MLB average. His winningest year was 2019, when he was 18-4.
Skepticism About a Second Chance
When the Pirates signed Germán in March, general manager Ben Cherington stated that he was unconcerned about his past. Cherington did his homework and was convinced that Germán was working to put his problems behind him. Pirates fans were skeptical. However, knowing Cherington’s cautious approach to any transaction, it’s easy to believe him in this case, with the caveat that any alcoholic can fall off the wagon again in an instant. So far, though, the problem with Germán in 2024 has not been his behavior, but his pitching. We’ll see whether he’s rejuvenated by a return to the big time.
It’s doubtful that Germán has a future with the Pirates beyond this season. The organization is rich in pitching depth. Five of their top 10 prospects are pitchers projected to debut in the majors by 2025. Again, Germán could make the Pirates change their mind with a few incredible performances. In that event, however, he’d have several teams bidding for his services after this 2024 campaign.
The Last Word
As the Pirates have not officially announced the move as of this writing, the corresponding moves are unknown. Somebody will have to be dropped from the active roster. Unless somebody is going on the injured list, the likely candidate to go is pitcher Ben Heller, who was just added to the active roster on Thursday. Somebody will have to be jettisoned from the 40-man roster as well. That could very well be Heller, too.
Main Photo: © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
