The Pittsburgh Pirates aren't expected to make much noise in 2024, but they continue to make low-cost moves that could be of help to their quest to deliver a better product on the field. On Friday night, after much speculation, reports came out that the Pirates have come to an agreement with former New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German to a minor-league contract, per MLB insider Mike Rodriguez via Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
German, who is a non-roster invite to the Pirates' big-league Spring Training camp, reportedly signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with a mutual option for 2025. This contract will only be triggered, of course, if the former Yankees starter makes it to the MLB roster, and at this point, it's not quite clear if he'll break camp with the big league roster.
If Domingo German impresses in camp, then perhaps the Pirates bring him in given how wide open the team's starting rotation is behind Mitch Keller and Martin Perez. German put up a 4.56 ERA in 19 starts with the Yankees last season (20 total games, 108.2 innings pitched), tallying 0.9 WAR, per Fangraphs. Of course, German had the highlight of his career last season when he threw the 24th perfect game in MLB history on June 28, 2023.
Nonetheless, the concerns surrounding German are with his off-court troubles, not necessarily his production from the mound. German, as one would recall, became the subject of controversy last season with the Yankees after he appeared to be intoxicated in the clubhouse, causing him to be hostile towards others. As a result, the Yankees placed Domingo German on the restricted list as the 31-year old starter underwent in-patient treatment for alcohol abuse.
German also has a history of violence against women; back in 2019, the new Pirates starter received an 81-game suspension from the MLB for violating the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy after engaging in physical violence with his then-partner.
The Pirates seem to be overlooking a lot of past transgressions as they attempt to add more talent to the roster. Pittsburgh also signed Aroldis Chapman earlier in the offseason, another former Yankees pitcher who has a checkered past and a questionable present, to say the least.
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