Former Pirates 1B Rowdy Tellez Opens Up After Release
The Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves at the center of controversy when they decided to designate former first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment with six games left in the season.
Tellez was four plate appearances shy of earning a $250,000 bonus when Pittsburgh DFA'd him. The former Pirates first baseman went on Foul Territory to speak about how everything transpired, and while he understands the business side of the sport, Pittsburgh's decision still came out of left field for him.
"It kind of caught me off guard, really," Tellez said. "But this game's a business, and those things happen. You don't want them to happen, but I can say that they didn't do anything wrong on paper, but I just felt like it was one of those things that just kind of blindsided me. I wish I was able to finish out the last six games with the guys and be there and say my goodbyes."
Tellez, 29, signed a one-year $3.2 million deal with the Pirates last offseason. Across 421 plate appearances, the veteran left-handed hitting first baseman hit 13 home runs, drove in 56 runs and slashed .243/.299/.392.
With the release came a time of reflection for Tellez and a plethora of texts from former Pirates teammates about the team's decision. While the situation is another chapter in the business side of sports trumping doing what's right for a player who has endured a grueling season and is just shy of earning a bonus, Tellez is moving on and focused on the 2025 season.
"I ended up just going home and sitting at the house and just really looking back on what could have been better for the year, and what could have been changed," Tellez said. "What could I have done better? But, you know, I think ultimately all my teammates reached out to me, and kind of expressed how they felt towards me, towards the action that happened. But you know, there's not much you can do about it just sucks. Money's money, but you know, life will go on."
