With the Pittsburgh Pirates out of playoff contention, first baseman Rowdy Tellez played for a chance at a $200,000 bonus based on at-bats. He entered Tuesday with 421 plate appearances, four away from earning that extra bonus.
For Tellez the opportunity was lost. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Pirates designated Tellez for assignment for their Tuesday game against the Milwaukee Brewers. With MLB in the final week of the regular season, Tellez will likely finish his 2024 season with 421 plate appearances, four short of the 425 needed to earn an additional $200,000.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters that the potential for a $200,000 bonus had no influence on his decision to cut Tellez from the roster.
“We feel like we’ve given Rowdy a lot of opportunities here this year,” Cherington said Tuesday.
The Pirates signed Tellez to a one-year, $3.2 million deal last offseason. Through 383 plate appearances in 2024, Tellez slashed .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs. While his overall numbers are an improvement from last year (.215/.291/.376 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs in 2023), it is a decline from 2022, when he set a career high in home runs (35), RBIs (89) and hits (116).
Tellez struggled to start the 2024 season, recording just one home run in May. But he improved as the season progressed; the exclamation point occurred on July 5 when he hit a home run and a grand slam en route to a 14-2 drubbing over the New York Mets, leaving Pittsburgh without any fireworks.
The Pirates were trade deadline buyers and entered August in the hunt for a playoff spot. But a 10-game losing streak early in the month effectively ended the Pirates’ playoff hopes. The Pirates were eliminated from the playoffs on September 16. Eight days later the team defeated DFA Tellez.
MLB players in their contracts are eligible for bonuses through the incentive clause under the CBA. Under MLB’s basic agreement, incentives based on statistical performance are prohibited. This means that predetermined, non-statistical benchmarks allow players to earn extra money. For hitters, the most common stimulus is the appearance of pickguards. If you stay on the active roster for a certain number of days, you can also earn a bonus, depending on the contract.
The Pirates lost 7-2 to the Brewers on Tuesday and fell to 73-84 in 2024. In addition to Tellez, the Pirates also designated outfielder Michael A. Taylor for assignment.
(Photo: Jason Mowry/Getty Images)