One of the more ethically questionable decisions the New York Yankees have to make this off-season revolves around starting pitcher Domingo German. After striking his girlfriend at a public event, in which an MLB employee witnessed the incident, German was disciplined for his actions. Rightfully so, he missed the entire 2020 campaign and the end of the 2019 season.
Since the incident, German has taken anger management courses and had plenty of time to reflect on his poor decisions. Ultimately, unless he has changed his life and gained new values, the Yankees could make a difficult decision to move on from him.
“I have to absolutely feel comfortable that he deeply, deeply regrets and is sorry for what he did, and I absolutely have to be comfortable with the fact that he’s turned his life around,†Hal Steinbrenner said on “The Michael Kay Show†on ESPN Radio. “Those two things are for sure.â€
German finished his 2019 campaign with a 4.03 ERA and a .818 win-loss percentage. He struck out 153 batters over 143 innings, allowing 30 home runs and 69 overall runs. He was expected to be a focal point for the Yankees in 2020 before commissioner Rob Manfred cracked down his suspension.
“As far as where we go with him, I don’t know,†Steinbrenner said. “That’s another discussion that I have to have not only with Brian Cashman and all, but my family. We will see, but there’s no doubt that he needs to prove that he’s turned his life around and he absolutely realizes how horrific that was.â€
Steinbrenner is making the right decision when it comes to German, as ensuring he is a changed man is essential. What he did does not represent the Yankee way and is certainly not exemplary of the franchise.
Bringing in strong-minded and respectful humans is how the Yankees prefer to operate, and he completely dissolved his trust within the front office. Now, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a second chance to learn from his mistakes and move forward with his life.
Hopefully, German has learned from his mistakes and gained some valuable knowledge on respecting women.