Pirates ditch former Yankees pitcher they never should've signed in the first place

What a difference a year makes.

Just 13 months ago, Domingo Germán was walking off the mound at the Oakland Coliseum after pitching a perfect game for the New York Yankees. A month later, he landed on the restricted list and entered an alcohol treatment program. He was non-tendered by the Yankees on Nov. 6 and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates five months later.

Now, as of July 17, Germán has been released by the Pirates after exercising the opt-out clause in his contract.

If this is indeed the end of the road for Germán in Pittsburgh, it ends without the right-hander ever making an appearance at the major league level. The club signed him late in spring training to a minor league deal worth $1.25 million with a 2025 team option worth $2.25 million, but Visa issues prevented him from making a start with Triple-A Indianapolis until May 19.

Struggles with command have hampered Germán this season. He walked 28 batters in 50.1 innings en route to a 5.36 ERA in 10 starts with Indianapolis. He also allowed one run on three hits across four innings in his lone start with Single-A Bradenton.

Pirates cut ties with a major liability in Domingo Germán

It's not like we couldn't have seen this coming. Overall, Germán is 31-28 with a 4.41 ERA in 112 appearances (89 starts) since reaching the majors with New York in 2017. He went 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 20 appearances for the Yankees last season, with his perfect game being more of an anomaly than anything else.

We should have anticipated that Germán would be a bust for the Pirates; the signs were all there. Just three months before he tossed the perfect game, Germán was suspended 10 games and fined by Major League Baseball for violating policies regarding the use of foreign substances in May 2023.

At the height of his career in 2019, Germán posted an 18-4 record before MLB placed him on administrative leave due to domestic violence allegations. He was suspended for 63 additional games as punishment in January 2020, causing him to miss the entire COVID-19 shortened season.

It's hard to imagine Germán getting the MLB offer he’s likely looking for, but it's very possible that he signs with another organization that gives him an easier path to the majors. The Pirates have the three-headed monster of Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes and Jared Jones anchoring their major league rotation and plenty of top pitching prospects waiting in the wings. Cutting ties with Germán – and all of his off-field drama – eliminates dead weight on an organization that has a real chance to be a playoff contender.

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