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Slugger Once Had a 35-Home Run Season, But is Now on a Job Search

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That describes the situation of Rowdy Tellez, on a job search after spending 2024 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Well, that’s 2024 minus six days. Tellez was designated for assignment with six games remaining in the season, when he was four plate appearances short of a $200,000 bonus, a development as shocking for its frugality as it was for the lack of awareness of its bad optics. Before his release, Tellez hit .243/.299/.392, 13 HR, and 56 RBI as the left-handed-batting half of a first base platoon. Those numbers translate to a .301 wOBA and a 90 wRC+, both below average.

Slugger Rowdy Tellez Once Had a 35 Home Run Season, But is Now on a Job Search

The 2024 season was an odd one for Tellez, no relation to Rowdy Roddy Piper. At the end of May, Tellez was hitting .177/.239/.223 and looked like a certain DFA candidate. The belief the Pirates brain trust had in Tellez was not shared by Pirates fans, who greeted his every move with a chorus of boos. Then in June, Tellez became one of the hottest hitters in baseball. For the month, he hit .333/.380/.546 and got the fans on his side with a big home run and three RBI against the Minnesota Twins on June 8. He continued to hit well until September when he went 5-for-43.

For his career, Tellez, 29, has hit .234/.303/.436, 105 HR, and 319 RBI in seven seasons, including time with the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers. His best season was in 2022 when he had 35 HR and 89 RBI for the Brewers despite hitting .219/.306/.461.

He’s willing to step in and pitch too, when needed, to finish games that have gotten out of hand. He’s made four mound appearances over the past two seasons.

Blue Jay Way

That Tellez was only a year removed from that 2022 season undoubtedly made him attractive to Pirates general manager Ben Cherington. Additionally, Cherington was familiar with Tellez from his time as Toronto’s vice president of baseball operations. Cherington has tended to give a chance to players he knew from his Blue Jays days. That’s worked out well with players like Joshua Palacios and Ryan Borucki. With others, such as Anthony Alford and Thomas Hatch, not so much.

Or maybe Tellez was just part of a continuing pattern. After bringing Daniel Vogelbach to Pittsburgh in 2022 and Jiman Choi in 2023, perhaps Cherington was looking for first basemen with the potential to lead the majors in Body Mass Index. At any rate, Tellez’s production wasn’t satisfactory for the Pirates’ needs in 2024. Maybe with a better platoon partner in a stronger lineup, the Pirates’ first base production may have been adequate. But the reality is that it wasn’t.

If Not Pittsburgh, Where?

Despite his late-season release, Tellez is open to signing another deal with Pittsburgh for 2025. Unfortunately for him, the interest doesn’t appear to be mutual. Nor should it be. It seems Tellez will have to take his job search elsewhere.

But where? Teams possibly losing their first basemen to free agency include the New York Mets (Pete Alonso), Arizona Diamondbacks (Christian Walker), and St. Louis Cardinals (Paul Goldschmidt). The New York Yankees have declined their option on Anthony Rizzo. However, it seems unlikely that any of these teams will look to Tellez as a solution. Nor is it suggested here that they should.

Other teams that wouldn’t mind adding a first baseman include the Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, and Washington Nationals. Washington could be a possible landing spot. They’re losing Joey Gallo to free agency and don’t have a major-league-ready prospect who could step in. Seattle could be another possibility. They traded Ty France at the deadline and will lose Justin Turner to free agency. Their No. 6 prospect, Tyler Locklear, 23, got a look with the big club last year but hit just .156/.225/.311 in 16 games. Locklear was sent to Triple-A Tacoma, where former Pirates manager John Russell is the manager. There, Locklear cut down on his strikeouts without sacrificing his raw power. He looks like the favorite to make the Mariners as their everyday first baseman. But they may want an experienced left-handed batter like Tellez to spell the right-handed-batting Locklear against the tougher right-handed pitchers.

The Last Word on Tellez and His Job Search

If I had to guess, I think the job search will take Tellez to Washington or Seattle. However, after two seasons that have resulted in a -1.0 WAR, he may have to settle for a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

 

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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