{"id":82556,"date":"2024-08-09T13:42:03","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=82556"},"modified":"2024-08-09T13:42:03","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:42:03","slug":"pirates-select-domingo-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/09\/pirates-select-domingo-german\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Addition of Former Yankees Pitcher is a Head-Scratcher"},"content":{"rendered":"

The news that the Pittsburgh Pirates will select the contract of Domingo Germ\u00e1n<\/a> 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\u2019s game in Los Angeles. Insider Mike Rodriguez was the first with this surprising piece of news.<\/p>\n

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Breaking News: According to my sources, the #Pittsburgh<\/a> #Pirates<\/a> have called up #DomingoGerm\u00e1n<\/a> from Indianapolis to MLB. Germ\u00e1n 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<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ojSxkNvVyk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) August 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pirates Give Domingo Germ\u00e1n a Second Chance<\/h2>\n

The Pirates just finished a disappointing home stand, losing five of six to other National League Wild Card contenders. The addition of Germ\u00e1n comes as a surprise in that it doesn\u2019t address any areas where the Pirates have proved to be deficient.<\/p>\n

The likely impetus for this move was the fact that Germ\u00e1n had a clause that allowed him to opt out of his minor league contract if he wasn\u2019t in the major leagues on August 9. The Pirates could then potentially lose him. This raises the question: So what? <\/em><\/p>\n

Germ\u00e1n wasn\u2019t dominating<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Regardless, the fact is that he\u2019ll be a Pirate by Friday evening. The next question is how Germ\u00e1n fits on the Pirates staff.<\/p>\n

How Will the Pirates Use Germ\u00e1n?<\/h3>\n

Rodriguez\u2019s sources inform him that Germ\u00e1n could make his first start of the season on Friday night against the Dodgers. Mitch Keller<\/a>, 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\u2019s preposterous that Keller would be skipped or pushed back for Germ\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

If Germ\u00e1n is to be in the rotation at all, it\u2019s more likely that he would replace Luis Ortiz<\/a>. When he first joined the rotation in late June, Ortiz was a shining star, but lately, he\u2019s 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\u2019s been overworked and ineffective in recent days.<\/p>\n

Even so, if Germ\u00e1n enters the Pirates rotation, his stay there would probably be temporary. Jared Jones<\/a> 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 Germ\u00e1n will make just one start with Pittsburgh. Once Jones returns, Germ\u00e1n is unlikely to crack a rotation of Keller, Jones, Paul Skenes<\/a>, Marco Gonzales<\/a>, and Bailey Falter<\/a>. That could change only if Germ\u00e1n\u2019s performance is lights-out.<\/p>\n

Still, the safer bet is that once Jones is back, Germ\u00e1n will slide into a long-relief role. That surely wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

A Checkered Past with a Modicum of Success<\/h3>\n

Most baseball fans are familiar with a few disquieting incidents from Germ\u00e1n\u2019s past while he was with the Yankees. He was suspended late in 2019 for violating Major League Baseball\u2019s 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<\/a>. He then voluntarily submitted himself to treatment for alcohol abuse. The Yankees waived<\/a> him in November and he became a free agent. Germ\u00e1n then signed a minor league contract<\/a> with the Pirates in March. He exercised an opt-out clause in July and re-upped with Pittsburgh a few days later.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, he\u2019s been a serviceable major-league starting pitcher. Germ\u00e1n is best known for pitching a perfect game<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n