Pittsburgh Pirates Part Ways with Rowdy Tellez Amid Playoff Elimination
As the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves out of playoff contention, first baseman Rowdy Tellez faced a unique situation heading into the final stretch of the season. Tellez was on the cusp of reaching a significant milestone, needing just four more plate appearances to trigger a $200,000 bonus stipulated in his contract. With only five games remaining in the regular season, Tellez entered Tuesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers with 421 plate appearances, just shy of the 425 required for the bonus.
However, the Pirates made the difficult decision to designate Tellez for assignment prior to the game, effectively ending his quest for the bonus. General Manager Ben Cherington addressed the media, clarifying that the potential financial incentive did not influence the decision to remove Tellez from the roster. “We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year,” Cherington stated on Tuesday.
The Pirates had signed Tellez to a one-year, $3.2 million deal in the offseason. Throughout the 2024 season, he played in 383 at-bats, posting a batting line of .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs. While these figures represent an improvement over his 2023 season, where he hit .215/.291/.376 with the same number of home runs and fewer RBIs, they fall short of his remarkable 2022 campaign, during which he achieved career highs with 35 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 116 hits.
Tellez’s season began sluggishly, as he managed to hit only one home run through the month of May. Nevertheless, his performance picked up significantly as the season progressed. A highlight came on July 5 when he delivered a powerful performance against the New York Mets, hitting a home run and a grand slam during a 14-2 victory, which led the team to run out of fireworks in celebration. Despite the initial optimism, the Pirates, who had positioned themselves as trade deadline buyers and were in pursuit of a playoff berth, suffered a devastating 10-game losing streak at the beginning of August, which effectively dashed their postseason hopes. The Pirates were officially eliminated from playoff contention on September 16, and just eight days later, the organization decided to DFA Tellez.
Under the MLB collective bargaining agreement, players can earn bonuses through incentive clauses in their contracts. While incentives based on statistical achievements are prohibited, contracts often include non-statistical benchmarks that allow players to earn extra money. For hitters, plate appearances are a common form of incentive, and staying on the active roster for a certain number of days can also be tied to potential bonuses.
In their game against the Brewers on Tuesday, the Pirates fell 7-2, bringing their season record to 73-84 in 2024. Alongside Tellez, the team also designated outfielder Michael A. Taylor for assignment.
(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
