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Pittsburgh Pirates announced the signing of first baseman Rowdy Tellez on a one-year, $3.2 million contract on Tuesday, but fans were not impressed with the addition. The slugger spent the last two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, putting up decent numbers before being non-tendered at the end of last season.
Many believe that Tellez is already in the twilight of his career and Pirates fans were not happy with what they see as a lack of ambition from their front office.
Rowdy Tellez was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2013 MLB Draft and went on to make his major league debut for them in 2018 after spending over five years in the minors. After an impressive rookie season, Tellez became a part of the Toronto roster over the next two years until he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in July 2021. He made a good start to life in Milwaukee, which earned him a one-year extension with them in 2023.
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However, his output declined over the year as he ended up playing first base, DH and one game as a pitcher. In 2023, he batted .215/.291/.376 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs in 311 at bats.
Tellez was non-tendered by the Brewers at the end of the season. Hence, Pittsburgh fans were left fuming as their front office announced a one-year, $3.2 million deal for Tellez and made their feelings clear over social media.
"Can he please leave my division," wrote one fan on Twitter. "We don't want him," added another.
Where does Rowdy Tellez fit in with the Pirates?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have had trouble filling the first base position ever since trading Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals in the 2020 MLB season. The best replacement they managed was Carlos Santana, who was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers last July, where he went on to replace Rowdy Tellez.
Now, with Tellez coming to the other side, not many fans are happy with the choice at first base and it remains to be seen if the front office will make further additions for the position.
