A rather damning story about new Pirates pitcher Domingo German was recently published in NJ.com has the organization under fire for an apparent lack of due diligence on the signing.

The Pirates signed German to a minor league contract a few weeks ago, taking a flyer on a guy who they believed was willing to put in the work to change.

But were they right to think that?

German was a successful pitcher for several seasons with the New York Yankees. He led the major leagues in 2019 with an .818 winning percentage on the mound, and last season pitched the 24th perfect game in MLB history, and became the first player to do so from the Dominican Republic.

But behind the scenes, German was apparently struggling with a drinking problem.

Just a little over a month after his perfect game, it was reported that German had showed up intoxicated to the Yankees’ clubhouse, where he proceeded to have a confrontation with Yankees manager Aaron Boone, overturning furniture and smashing a tv.

The next day, the Yankees announced that German had agreed to voluntarily submit to treatment for alcohol abuse, and that he would be placed on the Restricted List for eventually the rest of the 2023 season.

Now, German admits that he agreed to the rehab so that he could still collect a paycheck from the Yankees organization.

“I went because the Yankees weren’t going to pay me,” he said. “I was told that I would be there for a month. My wife and family nudged me to go. They reminded me that I needed the money. My family told me ‘you’re going to come out of here feeling better and you’re going to save your salary.”

He has also denied the claim that he was drunk on the day of the scuffle in the Yankees’ clubhouse.

He has admitted that he is still drinking, but does not believe it is a problem.

“I drink when I want to drink, but I don’t have a drinking problem,” he said.

He does claim that he can stop when he wants, adding in this piece that “I can go a month or two months without drinking.”

While his actions in the clubhouse last August led to the end of his relationship with the Yankees, it was not his first incident while he was there.

In September of 2019, German was involved in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend. He reportedly became intoxicated at a charity gala event (where many of his Yankees teammates were also present) and became physically violent towards his girlfriend. It was reported that she hid in a locked room until one of German’s teammates and his wife (contacted by German’s girlfriend) arrived and attempted to calm German down.

The information was later relayed to the Yankees brass and later MLB. There was no police report filed on the incident, because German’s girlfriend had not called law enforcement that night. However, German was later given an 81-game suspension, which wiped out his entire 2020 season as a result.

After his suspension, German issued a statement in which he addressed what he said to his teammates. “The only acceptable way to begin to move forward was to address them face-to-face. It is worth repeating again today what I told the team, there are a lot of young players who wear this uniform, and I want them to understand the great damage that can be done when mistakes like mine have been made.”

A lot of his teammates were shocked by his actions. They all acknowledged what he did was inexcusable, but had never previously seen/heard that side of him before.

He did rebound with the Yankees, but it was not an easy journey. While some of his New York teammates did welcome him back, others weren’t keen on his return. Most notably, Yankees reliever Zack Britton, who said “Sometimes you don’t get to control who your teammates are, and that’s the situation.”

He and his girlfriend did remain together, and they are now married with three kids.

German stayed with the Yankees all the way up until the clubhouse incident. He had a 5-7 record with a 4.56 ERA last season in New York.

German’s complicated (to say the least) history made him a controversial signing for any team, especially so soon after an alleged drunken incident. It was a risk the Pirates took by signing him, one that was met with immediate backlash.

The signing was stuffed on the bottom of a press release, evident that the team knew that this was not the most popular signing of the offseason.

German’s past incident with domestic violence and a continued string of intoxicated outbursts have alienated a large chunk of the Pirates’ fan base, largely women, who have already watched the Pirates sign Aroldis Chapman, who has a different but also checkered past.

The signing also prompted questions about whether the Pirates should sign Trevor Bauer. The Bauer situation is a whole different conversation, one that I’m not getting into here, but one that was brought up after German.

Now, even with the signing already being controversial and unpopular, German is seemingly unwilling to admit to a past problem, one that derailed his career in New York.

Upon signing German to a low-risk deal (contract wise) the team tried to prop up the signing and paint German is a better light.

It was reported by Pirates team reporter for MLB.com Alex Stumpf that the Pirates had spent time talking to German and his wife Mara, as well as many teams, other people, and the Player’s Association about restarting German’s baseball career.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said at the time that after doing a lot of background, they felt comfortable signing him.

“We spent a lot of time at it with a lot of people involved,” Cherington said. “Ultimately, we got to a point where we were comfortable making an offer.”

The Pirates reportedly felt that German had “completed all the necessary steps” in order to earn a contract, which included that treatment program he had previously entered.

In preparation for what me a rocky signing amongst other players in the organization, management reached out to team veterans before the deal. The front office felt that those players were willing and able to help in the rehabilitation process of his career.

“[We’re] very confident we’ve got people who can form a good support structure,” Cherington said. “Certainly, teammates are going to be part of that, and that was really the gist of the conversation we had with players.”

Cherington continued “If he was going to be here, they’ve got a role in this. They seem willing and eager to do that.”

“Really grateful for the Pirates giving me this opportunity,” German said after the signing via a translator. “I feel really happy.”

The Pirates did everything they could to prop up this signing, and to their point, it’s a very low risk deal. German signed a $1.25 million contract, which includes performance bonuses for 2024. It also carries a team option worth $2.25 million next season, also carrying incentive bonuses.

However, despite the Pirates’ efforts, German seemingly undid a lot of their (and his) hard work.

His admission to still drinking, and admitting to going to rehab last year with the paycheck in mind does not bode well for the comeback story the Pirates have tried to set up.

The lack of admission to having a problem at all also sinks the Pirates’ hopes.

Listen, I don’t want to pile on to anyone having a drinking problem. I know it’s incredibly serious, and that people who suffer from it often times don’t know they are.

That is why I want to focus on the Pirates organization instead. His comments show a lack of proper background searching and due diligence on German before signing him.

It’s certainly not a good look for the organization, or for German for that matter.

Cherington was asked about these new developments today. His response:

“It doesn’t change anything. I’ll go back to again what we’ve shared before: 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 all the resources we thought could help. That work will continue and we’ll do that directly with him.”

(Featured photo from AP)