The Pittsburgh Pirates cut first baseman Rowdy Tellez with six games left in the MLB regular season.
Normally, this move wouldn’t mean much. However, Tellez was just four plate appearances shy of a massive $200,000 bonus, and fans are clamoring for Tellez to get his due.
Why did the Pirates cut Rowdy Tellez?
While nothing is confirmed, the most obvious reason is to save money.
The Pirates have nothing to play for. They’ve been eliminated from playoff contention, so if Tellez was playing horrendously, taking him off the 28-man roster wouldn’t help them.
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The team may try to claim that it was due to Tellez’s poor play — but Tellez isn’t playing that poorly. Through 131 games, Tellez has slashed .243/.299/.392, good for a .691 OPS and 91 OPS+. He’s below average, for sure, but not so far that he’s worth cutting. He’s also tied for fourth on the team in home runs (13) and third in RBIs (56).
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters telling reporters that the impending bonus had ‘zero factor’ on the decision to cut Tellez.
‘We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year,’ Cherington told reporters Tuesday night. ‘To his credit, he fought through some difficult times earlier in the year and fought his way out of it. Had periods of success and periods of frustration. This is just where we got to in the season.’
Cherington added, ‘In the old days of expanded rosters, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. But there are 28 spots, and 14 are going to go to position players. We feel like we have to get the 14 guys on the team, wherever we can, who have the best chance to contribute past this year.’
Who did the Pirates call up to replace Rowdy Tellez?
In cutting Tellez (as well as outfielder Michael A. Taylor), the Pirates called up infielder Liover Peguero and outfielder Josh Palacios from Triple-A Indianapolis. Peguero was an easy call-up: He led all Pirates minor leaguers in hits (127), RBIs (79) and doubles (29) and tied for second in extra-base hits (46).
Palacios was a bit of a head-scratcher, though. In 20 games with the Pirates earlier this year, he hit .230 with two home runs and seven RBIs, which would put him on pace for pretty much the exact same stat line as Tellez for the season. Obviously, the two play different positions, and the Pirates’ need for an outfielder after cutting Taylor could’ve played into this decision.