Heading into his fifth year on the job, Ben Cherington was facing a media nightmare before the season began.

The general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates had done his best to defend his highly controversial signing of pitcher Domingo Germán to a one year deal in free agency.

Germán’s extremely concerning past had included a disturbing domestic violence incident in 2019, a subsequent 81-game suspension for said incident, substance abuse problems, and him being cut from his New York Yankees just weeks after etching his place in baseball lore, when he pitched the 24th perfect game in Major League Baseball’s history.

Shortly after extending Germán an offer, Cherington had proclaimed that the Pirates had done enough background work on the 31-year old to feel good about inking him to a deal.

The contract was set for $1.25 million, which included performance bonuses for 2024. It also carries a team option worth $2.25 million next season, also carrying incentive bonuses.

“We spent a lot of time at it with a lot of people involved,” he told reporters.

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

Cherington tried to provide some cover for the deal, saying that Germán was aware of the work he still needed to be putting in on the personal side if he had hopes of getting back to the major leagues.

Cherington had done everything he could to defend and shelter signing a 31-year old with a career 4.41 ERA that had garnered no other interest from around MLB.

However, Germán himself would go on to dismantle much of that work just a week later.

A bombshell interview he gave with NJ.com painted Germán in a very different light – far from the humble, eager to work, and positive fellow that Cherington had tried to portray him as.

Germán addressed the issue of his release from the Yankees, which stemmed from a drunken incident that saw Germán flip a table, smash a television, and argue with manager Aaron Boone before having to be confined in a sauna with security supervising him.

He admitted to accepting going to rehab for alcohol mainly so that he could still collect a paycheck from New York in the process.

““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 also denied having any problem with drinking at all, saying that he still drank when he wanted to because “I don’t have a drinking problem.”

The article in NJ.com spread like wildfire, and an already unpopular decision by the Pirates became magnified.

Instead of cutting Germán loose, after the righty had shattered the image that he was genuine in his approach to trying to rehab and be a better man, Cherington defended him.

“It doesn’t change anything,” he responded when asked later in the day. “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.”

This right here would be the defining story for Germán and the Pirates, and in particular Ben Cherington: the organization doing everything to prop him up, despite Germán’s on and off field status showing he does not deserve it.

That’s not to say that Germán shouldn’t still be afforded the help he needed, but the Pirates primarily are a baseball team, not a rehab clinic. Cherington decided to continue to let Germán have the privilege of being a professional baseball player in the meantime.

Germán had a pretty delayed start to his 2024 season. He didn’t pitch until mid-May, when he played one rehab start with Pittsburgh’s Low-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders.

After that, the Pirates had kicked off the next part of their plan, assigning him to their Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians. He made his first Triple-A start of the year May 19th, tossing 5.0 innings and surrendering 8 hits and 4 earned runs.

He never truly found his footing back in pro baseball while in Indianapolis. In 68.0 innings and 13 starts, Germán recorded a 5.29 ERA, 1.426 WHIP, 12 home runs against, and an opposing batting average of .248.

He gave up 3+ runs in over half of his games, and more reps did not prove to benefit Germán in baseball’s top minor league.

For all the trouble the Pirates had put themselves through, Germán was not providing a positive impact in the baseball department for the organization.

Germán had actually left the Pirates organization in mid-July. He opted out of his minor league deal with the club, and pursued other options in the hopes of getting a major league chance.

The Germán experiment clearly did not work, but the pitcher himself had given the team an out. He opted out of their contract together. The story, so disliked by this organization’s fans, could go quietly into the night.

However, no new opportunities were on the horizon for Germán, forcing him to circle back to the Pirates and ask for another minor league deal. Instead of moving on, Cherington and the front office re-signed him to a minor league deal, providing him with an opt out clause starting on August 9th.

Germán started 3 games and threw 17.2 innings, with a 5.09 ERA and 4 home runs against him.

Germán was kept in Triple-A with Indianapolis until August 8th…one day before his second opt out clause. The Pirates called him up just hours before he could opt out again, despite him fielding no other competitive offers as a free agent once before, and his Triple-A numbers failing to record any sizable improvement.

The results, predictably, have not been pretty.

He made his Pirates debut on the 9th in Los Angeles, appearing in a long-term relief role after the Dodgers knocked Mitch Keller out earlier than expected. He went 4.0 innings and allowed 2 earned runs off a homer (which, to be fair, Bryan Reynolds should have caught).

Since then, things have gone downhill in a hurry.

He has thrown 20.2 innings in 7 games for the Pirates, with an 0-1 record, 7.84 ERA, 1.840 WHIP, and only 18 strikeouts.

Germán’s second start with the club came on yet another embarrassing game for the Pirates last night. He lasted just 3.0 innings and surrendered 6 earned runs, getting charged with the loss that saw the Pirates lose 12-0 and suffer a combined no-hitter against.

Though Germán could have never succeeded with how anemic Pittsburgh’s offense was last night, his continued struggles also made any real offense the Pirates may have had probably moot.

Cherington’s insistence on keeping Germán around, and now even in the big leagues, is questionable at best.

The results, no matter what department, have been subpar for Germán.

It was a move and a series of decisions made for a player that did not have a track record of extreme success, a long runway to get back on track, or any long term future with the Pirates organization.

He does not figure into any of the team’s pitching plans in 2025, whether in the starting rotation or the bullpen.

So what was it all for?

That’s a question that Ben Cherington should have to answer.

For all this trouble, the Pirates got one good game out of Germán, his 6.0 innings of scoreless ball back in Texas a few weeks ago.

Whether right or wrong (and it is always a debate) players with bad pasts can be redeemed, at least in the eyes of teams, with solid play. Even if you are of the mind that a player like Germán could redeem himself over time, it hasn’t happened in Pittsburgh.

One good afternoon against the Rangers was simply not worth it. Not for the Pirates. Not for Cherington. Not for anyone.

Why did the Pirates have such a fear of losing this player? Why did they make a roster promotion influenced by when his second opt out date was? Why did the Pirates stick with him all this time?

All questions that fall on the shoulders of Ben Cherington.