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.
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.
