When Domingo German, starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, was first charged with domestic violence after an incident with his girlfriend, the 27-year-old took full responsibility, deciding not to fight the charges. The actions he took were unacceptable, and he deserves punishment.
Hopefully, his actions will prove to be a lesson for the future, as his delicate career in Pintrsipes is at stake. However, the MLB rolled out a lengthy suspension for the Dominican born player, forcing him to miss a combined 81 games.
The suspension is retroactive, meaning he will only serve a 63-game suspension in 2020, as he missed the final 18 games of the 2019 season.
What does this mean for the New York Yankees’ starting pitching rotation?
German’s absence will inevitably open up the door for other options in the rotation. Adding Gerrit Cole on a nine-year, $324 million deal supplants Luis Severino at the top of the order, sliding him into the no. 2 spot for the foreseeable future. The Yankees, though, have a fantastic rotation, packed full of capable starters and elite playoff arms, like Masahiro Tanaka.
The normal rotation will look like this:
- Gerrit Cole
- Luis Severino
- James Paxton
- Masahiro Tanaka
- Jordan Montgomery
- Michael King
I left J.A. Happ off the list with the expectation that he will be traded. From the look of the list, we can assume the Bombers will survive without German, as Cole, Seve, and Paxton are all sub-4.00 ERA pitchers. Cole finished 2019 with a 2.50 ERA, making him arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball. Last season, the Yanks enjoyed 103 wins without Cole’s services, but rather boasting a strong bullpen.
Montgomery will likely slide into the No. 5 spot in place of German. Monty had two successful seasons of sub-4.00 ERA baseball before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. He saw just two appearances in 2019 in September, but he is set to have a more significant role moving forward.