Pirates double down on Domingo German after concerning article about Yankees days

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-hander Domingo Germán to a minor league contract this past offseason, giving him a chance to compete for the fifth spot in their starting rotation.

Obviously, Germán has a complicated past, one that resurfaced last year and caused his tenure with the New York Yankees to end abruptly.

The right-hander's past includes drinking problems and domestic abuse, and the Yankees finally had enough late in the 2023 season.

Germán recently revealed the cause of his outburst late last season, a clubhouse dispute that ultimately led to him flipping furniture in the clubhouse and also stated that he only agreed to go to rehab so the Yankees would pay him, not because he had acknowledged he had an issue.

Knowing this, the Pirates have worked closely with him to ensure he remains in line in 2024. General manager Ben Cherington commented on this issue and stated that he feels comfortable with the work German has put in and his recent comments don't change the organization's opinion on the right-hander.

"We've spent a lot of time getting to know him through him directly and through people around him. We got to the point where we were comfortable and confident that he was doing the work he needed to do to continue growing and that we had the resources we thought could help," said Cherington. "That work will continue, and we'll do that directly with him."

Pirates confident in Domingo Germán despite dark past

This is certainly an interesting comment by Cherington, especially with prior reports that German denied his drinking problem and only went to rehab so the Yankees would pay him.

If anything, that should be a major red flag for any organization. But the Pirates are claiming to have a firm grasp on the situation.

The report from Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post details everything that led to the outburst.

Germán was frustrated about being pulled from a start due to arm soreness, and that frustration grew when he pitched five innings in relief the following day. He had been drinking the night before the outburst but said he had sobered up by the next day.

It was when a teammate confronted him about playing loud music in the clubhouse while in the presence or Ron Marinaccio, who had just been sent down to Triple-A to make room for Jhony Brito, that Germán exploded with rage.

However, the Pirates seem confident that they can help German if he struggles at all and that he'll be able to keep his composure and learn from his mistakes in New York.

The Pirates are going to have to keep him on a tight leash however, given his dark past. One mistake could ultimately spell the end of his career.

Hopefully, Germán doesn't have any issues this season.