The Pittsburgh Pirates have parted ways with Rowdy Tellez, who was close to earning a $200,000 bonus for reaching 425 plate appearances this season. The team announced Tellez’s designation for assignment ahead of their Tuesday game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
With just six games left in the regular season, Tellez had accumulated 421 plate appearances, falling short of the bonus threshold by four. The Pirates also designated Michael A. Taylor for assignment, promoting Liover Peguero and Joshua Palacios from Triple-A to complete their roster.
Despite the timing of Tellez’s release raising questions, general manager Ben Cherington clarified that the decision was not made for financial reasons: “No factor at all, zero. And, no, I’m not concerned. Contracts are negotiated in good faith. Then they live out. We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year. To his credit, he fought through some difficult times earlier in the year. Had periods of success and frustration. This is just where we got to in the season. Had nothing to do with where the plate appearances were lining up.”
Tellez joined the Pirates on a one-year, $3.2 million contract as a free agent in December 2023 and served primarily as the starting first baseman or designated hitter throughout the season. However, his performance warranted the Pirates’ decision, as he recorded a batting line of .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs in 131 games.
Among 19 first basemen with over 400 plate appearances this season, Tellez’s minus-0.6 FanGraphs wins above replacement placed him at the bottom of the rankings alongside Ty France. The timing of the release has drawn criticism, particularly as Pirates owner Bob Nutting has faced backlash for his franchise’s financial commitment in recent years. A report earlier this year highlighted a situation where the team delayed a trade to save $30,000, reflecting the broader concerns about their investment in the roster.