The Pirates have re-signed right-hander Domingo German to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf. Stumpf adds that German’s new pact with the club includes an opt-out on August 9. German has spent the entire 2024 season to this point pitching for the Pirates but opted out of his deal with Pittsburgh last week, though now it seems he’ll remain in the organization for at least a few more weeks.
German, 32 next month, made his big league debut with the Yankees back in 2017. While the righty appeared in just seven games as a multi-inning relief arm in his first MLB season, he went on to carve out a much more significant role for himself in the following years. 2018 saw German pitch in 21 games, including 14 starts, as a swing man for the Yankees, and by 2019 he had been promoted to a full-time starter. Off-the-field issues, including an 81-game suspension for violating the MLB-MLBPA joint domestic violence policy, saw him miss the 2019 postseason and the entire 2020 campaign, but upon his return to action in 2021 he spent three more seasons as a semi-regular fixture in New York’s rotation mix.
In all, German posted a 4.22 ERA (102 ERA+) with a 4.56 FIP in 422 1/3 innings of work for the Yankees between 2019 and 2023. German’s Yankees tenure including highs such as his outing against the A’s last June, where he threw the 24th perfect game in MLB history, but also lows such as his aforementioned suspension, a subsequent ten-game suspension for violating the league’s foreign substance policy on the mound, and a trip to the restricted list last September while he underwent treatment for alcohol abuse. Those numerous off-the-field issues help to explain why German, despite a track record as a fairly reliable back-end starter when healthy, settled for a minor league deal with the Pirates back in March.
Upon joining the Pirates, German was placed in the club’s Triple-A rotation, where he has struggled through ten starts. In 50 1/3 innings of work at the level this year, German has posted a lackluster 5.36 ERA with a similar 5.50 FIP. While his 20.6% strikeout rate is respectable enough, he’s walked a bloated 12% of batters faced at the level this year. That 8.6% K-BB% ratio is a far cry from the much more respectable 17.5% ratio he’s posted throughout his career in the major leagues, where he’s punched out 24.9% of batters faced while walking just 7.4%.
With Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales, Luis Ortiz, and Quinn Preister all seemingly ahead of German on the organizational depth chart among healthy starting options, it was hardly a surprise that German departed the club in hopes of finding a more pitching-hungry team interested in his services. Evidently, however, German was unable to find a deal he liked in free agency with another club, and as a result re-upped with Pittsburgh on a new deal that provides him an opt-out date after the Trade Deadline on July 30. It’s easy to imagine German exercising that opt-out opportunity as well, in hopes that a club that wasn’t able to address its rotation needs before the deadline at the end of the month shows interest in adding him to their mix as an innings-eating depth option. Until then, however, he figures to continue pitching in his current non-roster depth role with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate as he waits for his next big league opportunity.
“A+ re-signing,” said a local GM
I’ll drink to that.
the big Pirate transaction yesterday wasn’t a trade for a center fielder who is better than the two duds that currently occupy that position, no, it’s the re-signing to a minor league contract, a 32 year old pitcher who has no chance of pitching in the majors this year
I half expect Cherington to sign Josh Van Meter to a major league contract then state this is the player who will lead us to the playoffs
D- says a former ML shortstop.
and the dumpster diving continues..
Speaking of A+ signings how about the Yankees and Tim Hill? Wonder if Pittsburgh could have used a cheap lefty reliever with a 1.88 era? Nutting said Cherington was prepared to act early. Obviously that was a lie. Only thing Pirates are prepared for is to kick the can down the road.
Dennis Santana has been dealing the past 7 games for what it’s worth.
Tim Hill has a 2-0 record with an ERA of 0.00 since July 5th!
I happened to see Hills era and figured no better time to mention it than at 1.88 seems it can only go up from here. Can’t go down much more.
I like Santana. I don’t know if you noticed but I gave the Santana claim a A+ Was huge fan of the move.
Only a seer named Dream GM could have seen a gem in a mediocre reliever with a 5.87 era who was released by the White Sox.
And Brian Cashman maybe. I think he just stole it from me. He’s probably trading for Jesse Winker as we speak. Although he already has the Joe Winker platoon with Soto. How awesome would it be if the Pirates gm last name was Cashman.
You have been down on Cherington for a while now.
I guarantee that if he had the Yankees money for the last twenty-three years that they would have won more than one WC this century.
Cherington has been fantastic in every area except position player development. That’s a big important area. I will give me final grade on him August 1st if he buys.
So far he has been fantastic but any gm that took my how to be a successful gm 101 seminar could have done his job. Every single 1st round pick was a automatic pick. Take upside projectible arms in rounds 2 3 4. Trade veterans for best mph offered. Easiest things to do. Only impressive thing was the ability to find undervalued gems. That’s not included in my standard courses. That’s vip stuff there.
The hardest thing to do is know your prospects so well that you can trade away prospects you won’t regret. Example if any team thinks Solometo is a top 100 prospect that’s a easy trade. Trading Ashcraft is a gutsy move but the guy could be a reliever. But to trade Bubba who is close to being a sure thing without being a sure thing and knowing he isn’t going to be anything special is an elite level move. I don’t feel that and wouldn’t trade him but if Cherington did and he never amounted to much that is the elite gm Pittsburgh needs. Knowing your own prospects that good is what makes and breaks you other than development. As a outsider TJ always had hitting talent. It has been on display past few months and he would be someone I would keep. But if Ben went huge and traded him selling high and is right wow impressive. I am interested to see how much we agree on talent evaluation. I don’t think anyone is available that I would trade Bubba for. Ash TJ a tier lower but don’t think anyone available is worth it. If Robert was healthier and great defender I would be open. Bleday and another Oakland piece I would be open. Anyone else is on the table though. Meuth Reilly Harrington could bite you but for the right player. Quantity trades are the trend and that’s the route I would go.
Agreed 100% about knowing your prospects. Has to be a continual process. Have to have good baseball people in place who know the terrain.
Starting pitcher evaluation has to be a slippery slope here. Especially with guys coming back from surgery. Who stays? Who is tradeable? To me, a lot of that is a roll of the dice.
Don’t see how you give up on top picks like Termarr yet. Or Davis, really, although I think they eventually will
I don’t follow the minor leaguers like you do. I don’t know what these kids would bring back in trades, who is looked upon as valuable despite what they’ve shown, etc
We agree that player development has been a true F grade here. I’d wonder how many of the guys that they’ve brought in were simply misjudged as being possible MLB talent, that’s all
As for Cherington, one can look at Huntington’s last couple years here as a study in contrasts. Same financial shackles. Two different paths
You’ve said the rebuild is over. I’d agree. Now what? 75% of what you wanted has been accomplished but now what do you do?
Stand pat? Hope the fairies will come along and make guys suddenly hit?
Bring in more bottom tier signings in hopes a career is resurrected here?
Or augment the 75% with a couple big time hitters?
The most intelligent path is the last one—one that completes your process and allows you to continue the TB model
And unfortunately, the one they’ll likely forgo
“Now what? 75% of what you wanted has been accomplished but now what do you do?” I’m calling the Washington Nationals!!! Lol haha lmao
Unless they go winless or only win 1 game or something crazy in the next week I am trying to trade. See who if anyone is interested in failed prospects. Lower ceiling prospects. Raw lotto tickets. Any high demand valuable player will take mph to get. And that’s what I want to keep. I’m looking at rental platoons outfielders and maybe 6th 7th inning reliever. Catcher 1b if the right deal emerges.
More 1 year guys no one wants. Free agents are expensive. Don’t want to get into a bidding war. Get to trade deadline and add more scraps. If there is rare value in free agency you grab it.
I think this is the path they’ll go. Again, they’re thinking that the WC berth equates to success in this town. Maybe. Small steps
But the off season will make their intentions clear
Me? I expect them struggling for .500 for a few years. No expectations.
Wild card is success. I will take Skenes Keller Jones vs any other teams best 3. The 4 5 starter is strong too. 5 starter goes to the pen. Better get used to the wild card. The $ is on the coast so even if Pirates win division they will be playing in the wild card most times. Central division is tuff. Smart teams with loaded farm systems.
Same thing different year. Struggling to be a .500 club for a few years or in the Pirates case, a few decades
Not having expectations is part of the problem.
Settling for mediocrity, is
struggling to be .500 is the mantra of this organization for the last 45 years with an occasional playoff run which doesn’t advance to the WS
Long time fans have expected the same thing every year. Spend low, lose a lot and wait for the miserable excuses made by the GM at the end of every season
That’s providing they haven’t been shut down, lol
And in the era of 5-6 inning starts, that starting staff doesn’t mean as much as it used to
But ok. Again, they could truly go for it this or next year, but won’t.
Breaking news. My sources in the Pirates front office tell me there is a heated debate occuring right now. How many Skenes bobblehead nights can they do without over doing it? I say 4. Regular Pirates Skenes. #1 pick Skenes. All star Skenes. And ROY Skenes. With some luck make it 5 with Cy Young Skenes.
I’d pay big bucks for a Skaneateles, NY Skenes bobblehead
But you got your Wiz Khalifa bobble head, right? Sheesh. Pierogi races. Fireworks. Wiz. Stop complaining already
I guess nobody else wanted him. Hmmmm……Next stop- Korea?
California Penal League
The front office needs to do more than that.
Their competition for the wild card spot will make deals to improve their chances. Pirates can’t continue to stand pat if they want to stay in the hunt.
Chapman’s friend
The Pirates are on the clock to do something in a few years before Skenes goes to LA
The Bucs can’t score any runs against a 37 year old pitcher says everything you need to know about why they need to make this team better if they want to make the playoffs this year
Granted it’s only the 4th inning but players like Palacios and Triolo have no business being in the starting lineup
I guess if Nutting wasn’t so cheap this conversation wouldn’t be happening