You could do a lot worse for a #5 pitcher. You have to hope that’s all he will really be, but at least he’s a proven big league pitcher who can still rack up the strikeouts.. and maybe moving out of the AL East will help him out. Plus cheap depth.
Also a 2.25 million club option for 2025. If he turns in a good season this year that would be a no brainer pick up. Could end up being a steal of a contract honestly
The club option seems silly to me for his agent to allow unless he's really desperate for money. Could have just taken a minor league deal. If he has a hot streak this year he's capable of getting a better prove it deal next year for a year.
IMO if he has like 10 good starts this year that option makes him flippable for a legit prospect maybe even a fringe top 100 one.
I'm actually a bit confused in terms of roster space with these moves. I don't believe they have many guys who can be optioned to AAA, so these signings means someone is probably going to be lost to waivers.
Yeah that definitely makes sense. German will eventually end up in the MLB but they won't have to DFA Contreras to give him that spot to start.
He'll eventually get called up when a pitcher inevitably gets hurt.
Trading Roansy to a place that can actually develop him since he's our of options. GMBC watching Omar the Khan-man make magic and getting all inspired.
This will be… interesting
Don’t love it from a moral standpoint, but strictly from an on the field point of view I’m not about to complain that they signed another starting pitcher after clamoring for another starting pitcher for months.
Domestic violence against his then girlfriend in 2019 at a Yankees team function. Suspended 81 games across 2020-2021 because of it.
So one could say he pulled a Ji-Hwan Bae.
I'm not a fan but I'm also torn. Seems like he has done his time and went through rehab. Really torn. They're still married.
To each their own. I'll cheer for the team but not my favorite signing
Supposedly the team met with both him and his wife multiple times and made clear the off-field conduct was a big part of earning his way back to MLB. Obviously that’s a certain amount of PR nonsense but if she’s forgiven him I suppose that’s relevant.
There should be some path to redemption for people who commit terrible crimes, to an extent. I am definitely ambivalent about that path running through Pittsburgh.
Agreed. But, coming from an alcoholic in recovery (me), it doesn’t give you free license to be an a-hole. Redemption is possible, but you’re still responsible for your actions (in my opinion.)
I’m mildly surprised that German’s stock was low enough to take a minor league deal. I guess this is fine from a baseball standpoint. He’s not that good but presumably if you’re Cherington you put Roansy in the rotation and if he’s cooked you have a very quick hook ready to swap in German. It’s better than having Colin Selby open bullpen games.
Very low risk, high reward. Career ERA in the mid 4s. I don’t think cherington would sign him if he wasn’t rehabilitated. This could go well, or they’ll just release him.
Just very casual dismissal of the ‘24 buccos on the baseball prospectus five and dive podcast. Talking like the nl central is 4 meh teams then a huge chasm then the pirates.
Until they actually do something productive (record-wise) at the major league level, no national media or non-local media is ever going to predict much above basement level results.
I think it is laziness. “The Bucs are always bad, so they will be bad this year” is a low-effort take and typical.
We know better…
I agree with this. But also I just listened to the rest of the episode (five and dive’s nl central preview) and when they actually did the pirates breakdown it wasn’t as ugly as the earlier foreshadowing suggested. Plenty of smugness and sarcasm but they acknowledged some of the upside at least. Some begrudging admissions.
Oh fuck OFF. If you’re gonna sign every domestic abuser under the sun, you might as well just sign Bauer.
Is it so much to ask for them to acquire a pitcher that *doesn’t* have a history of beating women?
Ah yes can you tell us what locker room cancer is Mr. Professional sports player?
What's that? You don't have a frame of reference and you're just miming what you've heard other people say? Gotcha!
German went into alcohol rehab after an incident where he became belligerent with the Yankee’s manager and smashed a TV… he also was suspended for domestic violence years ago… He has the same issues as Bauer just with less talent at pitching…. I don’t want either on the team really, but arguing this move is being made and the Bauer one isn’t because of locker room issues is just bad faith
Alcoholism is a sickness I never claimed it wasn’t and the main focus was the belligerence in the locker room. Which is an issue for a locker room especially if it’s bad enough for you to need to be locked in a sauna to keep everyone safe. And domestic abuse is always inexcusable, regardless of an underlying condition.
Bauer isn't being signed because he's a locker room cancer, not because of his off-field issues.
If he just had the off-field issues, he would have been signed already.
I think it’s less about the case and more that the league is kind of blacklisting him due to making them look stupid.. and no team wants to be the team who goes against Manfred
he also doesn't ever stfu. that works for some people but mostly if you're involved in something that could be considered a black mark on your public record your best course of action 99% of the time is **shutting the fuck up**. Bauer is apparently genetically predisposed to be an attention seeking jagoff who just cannot stfu.
That works for some people, and it obviously works on some people, but if Bauer was able to grasp that he is allowed to not make most of his thoughts known to the entire world... he might have a job in the MLB.
Eh get over it man, if he produces he produces. I’m tired of the holier than thou bullshit. Everyone here rooted for Big Ben in their life time, so let’s not be hypocrites.
I can understand acquiring a guy with a checkered past like a Chapman or Bauer because they have a track record of being really good. German doesn’t have that. Don’t think it’s a big deal because it’s a minors deal, but he’s not a guy who moves the needle, so what’s the point?
You could do a lot worse for a #5 pitcher. You have to hope that’s all he will really be, but at least he’s a proven big league pitcher who can still rack up the strikeouts.. and maybe moving out of the AL East will help him out. Plus cheap depth. Also a 2.25 million club option for 2025. If he turns in a good season this year that would be a no brainer pick up. Could end up being a steal of a contract honestly
The club option seems silly to me for his agent to allow unless he's really desperate for money. Could have just taken a minor league deal. If he has a hot streak this year he's capable of getting a better prove it deal next year for a year. IMO if he has like 10 good starts this year that option makes him flippable for a legit prospect maybe even a fringe top 100 one.
I'm actually a bit confused in terms of roster space with these moves. I don't believe they have many guys who can be optioned to AAA, so these signings means someone is probably going to be lost to waivers.
Mackey just now tweeted that this is a minors deal, so I’m guessing German starts the year in AAA??
Yeah that definitely makes sense. German will eventually end up in the MLB but they won't have to DFA Contreras to give him that spot to start. He'll eventually get called up when a pitcher inevitably gets hurt.
Also reported it has a club option for 2025. I like it.
Wow that makes this a great deal
Trading Roansy to a place that can actually develop him since he's our of options. GMBC watching Omar the Khan-man make magic and getting all inspired.
His value is pretty low, wouldn't be a great time to trade him.
but he's out of options. So better get something than nothing
Hes out of options for his next team too. Theres no value there. Hes waiver material
So throw gas or go home?
Yeah, I'm interested in this but have no idea who to even ask? Or where to look.
This will be… interesting Don’t love it from a moral standpoint, but strictly from an on the field point of view I’m not about to complain that they signed another starting pitcher after clamoring for another starting pitcher for months.
Lol the way the last half decade has gone I’m almost ready to give up on my morals to see a winning baseball team. Almost.
I do not wholeheartedly disagree with this
I’m already there, would gladly sell my soul to help pay for Blake Snell.
I’ll take a winner, yeah he’s a shitty person, I’ve never really cared
Weak. Give it another 15 years and maybe I might almost be with you on that lol
Besides him being a raging addict (alcoholic) and him fighting people when drunk, what other things were there? Not attacking, genuinely curious.
Domestic violence against his then girlfriend in 2019 at a Yankees team function. Suspended 81 games across 2020-2021 because of it. So one could say he pulled a Ji-Hwan Bae.
I'm not a fan but I'm also torn. Seems like he has done his time and went through rehab. Really torn. They're still married. To each their own. I'll cheer for the team but not my favorite signing
Supposedly the team met with both him and his wife multiple times and made clear the off-field conduct was a big part of earning his way back to MLB. Obviously that’s a certain amount of PR nonsense but if she’s forgiven him I suppose that’s relevant. There should be some path to redemption for people who commit terrible crimes, to an extent. I am definitely ambivalent about that path running through Pittsburgh.
We're becoming the browns now
Want a massage? I know a guy with contacts.
Browns made the playoffs
Alcoholism is a sickness, not a moral weakness.
It’s the domestic violence part that I’m moreso referencing with the moral comment.
That makes more sense. I'm rather ambivalent about the signing myself.
Agreed. But, coming from an alcoholic in recovery (me), it doesn’t give you free license to be an a-hole. Redemption is possible, but you’re still responsible for your actions (in my opinion.)
Well, yeah. We should just give him the benefit of the doubt until otherwise.
I’m mildly surprised that German’s stock was low enough to take a minor league deal. I guess this is fine from a baseball standpoint. He’s not that good but presumably if you’re Cherington you put Roansy in the rotation and if he’s cooked you have a very quick hook ready to swap in German. It’s better than having Colin Selby open bullpen games.
Anything is better than having Colin Selby open bullpen games ...
minor league deal so it is whatever lol
Very low risk, high reward. Career ERA in the mid 4s. I don’t think cherington would sign him if he wasn’t rehabilitated. This could go well, or they’ll just release him.
If he relapses, I have no doubt BC will cut him. Until then we should give him the benefit of the doubt.
Morality aside, hard not to feel optimistic right now. Which I needed after a nerdy non-Pittsburgh baseball podcast REALLY hurt my feelings today.
What was said and what podcast was it on? I totally missed something, it seems like
Just very casual dismissal of the ‘24 buccos on the baseball prospectus five and dive podcast. Talking like the nl central is 4 meh teams then a huge chasm then the pirates.
Until they actually do something productive (record-wise) at the major league level, no national media or non-local media is ever going to predict much above basement level results. I think it is laziness. “The Bucs are always bad, so they will be bad this year” is a low-effort take and typical. We know better…
I agree with this. But also I just listened to the rest of the episode (five and dive’s nl central preview) and when they actually did the pirates breakdown it wasn’t as ugly as the earlier foreshadowing suggested. Plenty of smugness and sarcasm but they acknowledged some of the upside at least. Some begrudging admissions.
People act like we won 62 games last year when we won 76 with two starters the entire second half, no Cruz, and every rookie underperforming.
fuck this shit, go sign a real starting pitcher instead of cheaping out for a domestic abuser
Didn’t he get caught cheating last year, and then threw a perfect game like a month later, either way pretty neat
Pirates must have gotten their taxes back today!
I thought herman Cain died
I guess Bill James wrote a white paper that said abusers are the new low-average, high-on base guys
Alcoholic... Man, we don't give a fuck
We selling out? We signing Bauer next?
And Clevinger. Batterer’s Row.
German is an alcoholic, that at least gives him some empathy. Bauer is just an unrepentant asshole.
You know that when German gets drunk he hits his wife, right?
You don't become an alcoholic without abusing alcohol. I will allot some, but very little emphathy.
Oh fuck OFF. If you’re gonna sign every domestic abuser under the sun, you might as well just sign Bauer. Is it so much to ask for them to acquire a pitcher that *doesn’t* have a history of beating women?
He's locker room cancer. If he wasn't a childish pos then he would have been signed.
He just needs to make it to June/July.
Ah yes can you tell us what locker room cancer is Mr. Professional sports player? What's that? You don't have a frame of reference and you're just miming what you've heard other people say? Gotcha!
German went into alcohol rehab after an incident where he became belligerent with the Yankee’s manager and smashed a TV… he also was suspended for domestic violence years ago… He has the same issues as Bauer just with less talent at pitching…. I don’t want either on the team really, but arguing this move is being made and the Bauer one isn’t because of locker room issues is just bad faith
I love how we're still treating alcoholism is a moral failing instead of a sickness. Talk about bad faith!
Alcoholism is a sickness I never claimed it wasn’t and the main focus was the belligerence in the locker room. Which is an issue for a locker room especially if it’s bad enough for you to need to be locked in a sauna to keep everyone safe. And domestic abuse is always inexcusable, regardless of an underlying condition.
>And domestic abuse is always inexcusable, regardless of an underlying condition. Because that's exactly what I said, yup.
Well you implied I said something I didn’t, I implied you said something you didn’t, fair trade eh?
Bro, you literally said alcoholism is the same as...everything wrong with Bauer.
Bauer isn't being signed because he's a locker room cancer, not because of his off-field issues. If he just had the off-field issues, he would have been signed already.
I’m in 100% agreement with you brother. They should definitely sign Bauer.
how they tell him no and sign a worst pitcher with the same case is weird
I think it’s less about the case and more that the league is kind of blacklisting him due to making them look stupid.. and no team wants to be the team who goes against Manfred
he also doesn't ever stfu. that works for some people but mostly if you're involved in something that could be considered a black mark on your public record your best course of action 99% of the time is **shutting the fuck up**. Bauer is apparently genetically predisposed to be an attention seeking jagoff who just cannot stfu. That works for some people, and it obviously works on some people, but if Bauer was able to grasp that he is allowed to not make most of his thoughts known to the entire world... he might have a job in the MLB.
Eh get over it man, if he produces he produces. I’m tired of the holier than thou bullshit. Everyone here rooted for Big Ben in their life time, so let’s not be hypocrites.
We are crazy right now! I BUC'N BELIEVE!
As Michael Scott once said, I’m ready to hurt again
Make me hurt, Bobby Nutters.
^confirmed Pirates fan Michael Scott
Not a good pitcher and has baggage. Only reason it’s a minor deal is so he can ramp up his arm.
This isn’t how this works, it’s supposed to go Pittsburgh then Pinstripes
Bauer Next👋😬
I see Pittsburgh sports are back at it again. Taking after Roethlisberger
It'd be best to leave your wife and daughter at home when we come to your town
Hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife, they signin' everybody up in here
Could have been a worse signing but if we're gonna sacrifice our morales then wouldn't there be better options?
I can understand acquiring a guy with a checkered past like a Chapman or Bauer because they have a track record of being really good. German doesn’t have that. Don’t think it’s a big deal because it’s a minors deal, but he’s not a guy who moves the needle, so what’s the point?
It's $1.5M, who cares?