Pirates re-sign Domingo Germán in frustrating move after last week's release

Just four days after opting out of his minor-league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Domingo Germán is back with the organization – at least for a few weeks.

After releasing him on July 17, the club reversed course and re-signed the right-hander to a new minor-league deal that includes an opt-out on Aug. 9, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.

The Pirates took a flyer on Germán and signed him late in spring training to a minor league deal worth $1.25 million with a 2025 team option worth $2.25 million. The former New York Yankees pitcher's reputation had been tarnished due to numerous off-field issues over the last few years, including an 81-game suspension for violating the MLB-MLBPA joint domestic violence policy in 2019; a 10-game suspension for violating MLB's foreign substance policy in May 2023; and a trip to the restricted list while he underwent treatment for alcohol abuse last September.

Germán had spent the entirety of the 2024 season in the Pirates organization until he exercised his opt-out clause last week before ever making an appearance with Pittsburgh at the major-league level. Germán walked 28 batters in 50.1 innings en route to a 5.36 ERA in 10 starts with Triple-A Indianapolis. He also allowed one run on three hits across four innings in his lone start with Single-A Bradenton.

Domingo Germán's path to the majors remains unclear as he re-signs with Pirates

It wasn't exactly a surprise when Germán opted out of his first contract with the Pirates. Pittsburgh isn't lacking in pitching depth, and his chances of getting a major-league call-up were improbable at best. Even if he wanted a back-of-the rotation spot at the big-league level, Germán would have to somehow leapfrog one or all of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales, Luis Ortiz and Quinn Priester to get there. Again, not likely.

Evidently, however, Germán wasn't able to find a major-league deal he liked in free agency (not a surprise), so he re-upped with the Pirates on a new deal that gives him an opt-out date after the July 30 trade deadline. He'll probably exercise that opt-out as well, especially if there is an opportunity for him to join a pitching-hungry team that wasn't able to address its rotation needs at the deadline.

For now, though, you can find Germán continuing to eat innings in Indianapolis as he waits for his next big league opportunity. And he could be waiting for a while.

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