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It was a year of highs and lows for starting pitcher Domingo Germán in 2023 with the New York Yankees. He tossed MLB’s first perfect game in more than 10 years on June 28. However, his campaign was cut short after going on the restricted list to seek alcohol abuse treatment.
Upon refusing a minor-league assignment from the Yankees on November 6, Germán hit free agency looking for a fresh start. According to a January 24 report from the New York Post’s Mark W. Sanchez, there are currently six teams pursuing the right-handed hurler. Not all interested teams are known, but Sanchez said the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are two of them, as well as the cross-town New York Mets. However, the Mets are viewed as “the least favorites” in this scenario.
Regarding Germán’s continued recovery, Sanchez’s source said the right-hander is working hard and voluntarily checking in with professionals to make sure he remains in a good place. He’s also “moved away from a lot of distractions he had before,” per Sanchez.
Germán Has Offers From Interested Teams
Since the 31-year-old refused an outright assignment to the minors, it can be deduced that he’s looking for a major-league deal in free agency. Sanchez confirms that in his report, also saying that’s the expected result.
The right-hander already has two offers from interested teams on the table. It doesn’t seem as if anything is imminent at the moment, though.
Germán was mostly a productive member of the Yankees’ rotation during his six-year tenure in the Bronx. In 112 appearances (89 starts), he posted a 31-28 record with a 4.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 543 strikeouts in 522.1 innings.
He tossed 108.2 innings for New York in 2023 before being placed on the restricted list. It resulted in a 4.56 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 114 strikeouts. This was significant from a workload perspective because it was the first time he surpassed the 100-inning plateau since 2019. He tossed a career-high 143 frames for the Bombers that season.
A Look at His Projected 2024 Performance
It seems likely that Germán will find a spot in a big-league rotation for the 2024 season. What kind of production could the teams interested in his services be on the verge of getting?
FanGraphs’ ZiPS projections, which are compiled by Dan Szymborski, pegs Germán for a 6-5 record to go along with a 4.13 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 98 innings pitched. That production would lead to 1.3 fWAR. Meanwhile, Steamer projections have him posting a 4.50 ERA and 1.2 fWAR in 107 innings. The projections at Baseball Reference are quite similar, as well. Their numbers are currently at a 4.39 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 119 innings pitched.
What will be crucial for the right-hander heading into 2024 is consistency on a start-by-start basis. Across 20 starts in 2023, he allowed four or more runs in an outing on eight different occasions. It happened in consecutive starts three separate times.
The best example can be seen leading up to his perfect game against the Oakland Athletics. In the two starts before that performance, Germán allowed 17 runs (15 earned) on 15 hits (five home runs), four walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings. But then on June 28 in Oakland, he retired 27 Oakland hitters in a row with nine strikeouts.
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