Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Team Has Met With Domingo Germán "Several Times"

According to a report, the Pittsburgh Pirates have met with free agent starting pitcher Domingo Germán "several times"

Spring training is right around the corner for the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Wednesday, pitchers and catchers will report to Bradenton. With that, the complexes at Pirate City will begin bustle and spring training will be underway.

Even though the start of spring training is essentially here, the Pirates are still in search of more starting pitching help. The starting rotation has been a need throughout the offseason, and all the Pirates have done to address it is trade for an injury riddled Marco Gonzales and sign a below league average Martín Pérez.

On Sunday, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported that the Pirates are continuing to pursue free agent starting pitching options. The two names that Morosi mentioned were veteran righties Michael Lorenzen and Noah Syndergaard.

Now, according to another report, the Bucs are also interested in free agent Domingo Germán whom the team has reportedly met with "several times."

Germán is certainly a polarizing figure, not all that different from Trevor Bauer. Before diving into his on field production, it is impossible to overlook the extensive off the field concerns that surround Germán.

In September of 2019 Germán was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball. This was due to Germán being investigated for a domestic violence issue. This led to Germán being suspended for 81 games which caused him to miss the end of the 2019 regular season, the 2019 postseason, and the entire 2020 season.

Last season, Germán voluntarily entered an inpatient treatment center for alcohol abuse. This occurred on August 2nd. After the Yankees placed him on the restricted list, it was revealed that Germán had a clubhouse incident with manager Aaron Boone during which he was reportedly "belligerent." During this incident, Germán flipped over furniture and smashed a TV in the clubhouse. Germán was then confined to the team's sauna area where he was under security supervision until he sobered up.

As for the on field production, Germán posted a 4.56 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 7.7% walk rate, 25.7% strikeout rate, and a 1.66 HR/9 in 108.2 innings pitched last season. He made 20 appearances, 19 of which were starts, and threw the 24th perfect game in MLB history on June 28th.

In 112 career games (89 starts) Germán owns a 4.41 ERA and a 4.50 FIP in 522.1 innings pitched. He's never pitched in more than 27 games or made more than 24 starts in a season, with both career highs coming in 2019. In addition to his suspension that spanned 2019 and 2020, Germán spent time on the 60-day injured list in 2022 due to a shoulder issue.

If Germán is healthy, sober, and not in legal trouble, he would be an upgrade to the Pirate starting rotation. To be honest, that version of Germán would likely be the team's second best starting pitcher right now. That said, it is far from a gaurantee that they would get that version of Germán. Also, the Pirates already have two players on the 40-man roster with a past history of domestic violence. Do they really need a third?