3-16-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X
The Pirates made two additions on Friday to improve the team and overall depth. Let’s talk about both, and let’s not hide from any of the issues that come with them.
I’m going to start with Michael Taylor, a player most of you know I have wanted here since December. Then I’ll move into Domingo German, an admittedly much more controversial signing.
Michael Taylor
Four million dollars for quite honestly an elite defender in Center Field. Some super optimistic fans will see his 21 homeruns last year and fancy it somehow repeatable, but that stat screams outlier.
His average ranges from .200 to .250, and his OPS will never impress you. Truth is, if you were signing Michael Taylor to fix your lineup, you probably aren’t all that smart.
He’ll contribute, even have stretches where you consider him more important than he is, but his best attribute, the one that makes him helpful is his elite glove.
Before I get into some stats to back that statement up, let me just add, it’s not just what he does, it’s how much better his presence can make Jack Suwinski and Bryan Reynolds.
They can use him in a backup role, someone who comes in late as a defensive replacement. He could serve as a right handed platoon option, a swing man who’s ability to play Center Field gives them the ability to put out a 3 man unit who can hit from the right side. And if need be, he can start for stretches, and help to minimize the defensive shortcomings of everyone else they play on the corners.
If you really want the story of why they signed Michael, here it is.
Simply put, this guy is here to make sure an out becomes an out and a few hits do too. That’s the story of this signing.
Against tough lefties, Jack Suwinski may not be the best option and conversely against a righty, Taylor becomes a strikeout machine. I don’t say that to assume they’re a straight platoon, I still believe the Pirates see Jack as an everyday player, but there are some lefties he simply isn’t a good matchup against.
Fortifying defensively with a veteran is a smart move, and while he’s not going to be some All Star, he is going to be a valuable addition to this squad.
Domingo German
Where do you want me to start?
Domingo is an alcoholic who abused his wife. No excuses will be made for him here, and nobody is going to preach to you that you have to accept him or hate him, or give him a second, third, how ever many chances this is.
What I can say is, he’s gone through programs, he’s still with his wife and she was involved in the discussions the Pirates had with German.
Now, she has incentive for him to make money of course, so you can’t just take this as an indication that she’s fine and dandy with everything that’s happened, but you can at least take from it that the Pirates didn’t blindly enter this.
Now, let’s be clear about what this is.
Nothing more than a shot at a shot. The Pirates offered him a path back to MLB, not a guarantee. 1.5 million dollars tied to service time and an MiLB contract with a Team option for 2025 at 2.5 million. In other words, they signed a guy who may earn his way back to MLB through both on and off the field performance. One mistake off the field, this will end. No performance on the field, he never sees it at the MLB level for the Pirates.
Performance on the field but a few incidents, he’ll never see the field.
This isn’t a savior for the rotation, not now, probably not this year. What he is, is a higher quality (talent wise) Non Roster Invitee type of player.
After the team engaged in conversations with Domingo and his wife, reportedly multiple times, MLB, and MLBPA, it’s been decided Pittsburgh would give him a shot to continue his redemption and get a shot at saving his career.
I’m sure for some this will be a public relations issue, but an MiLB player will quickly become out of sight, out of mind. When and if he finds his way to the MLB club, believe me, both he and the team will have quite the story to spin about everything he did and showed on the way here since being inked.
That won’t make it go away for everyone, totally get that, not even saying it should, but it’s also not something we’ll deal with for a while, again, this isn’t a guy jumping into the 5th starter conversation.
Yet, let alone if ever.
Steel City Pirates 