Mariners release slugger Pirates screwed over in ridiculous fashion last season

The Seattle Mariners announced on June 26 that they placed former Pittsburgh Pirate Rowdy Tellez on unconditional release waivers.

The Mariners designated Tellez for assignment on June 20 after a rough start to the season. He slashed .208/.249/.434 over 62 games, which doesn't match up to Seattle's postseason aspirations. Tellez opted for release instead of an assignment in the Mariners' farm system, so he'll test free agency as the trade deadline approaches.

The Pirates' offense could use all the help it can get, despite being well out of the playoff picture. Pittsburgh is slashing .228/.302/.337 as a team with a .639 OPS, the second-lowest in MLB. First baseman Spencer Horwitz has been quite the spark to the Pirates' offense lately with a .291/.361/.400 slash line in his last 15 games, but Jared Triolo's production still leaves much to be desired (.169/.268/.290).

The Pirates could bring Tellez back as platoon with (or upgrade to) Triolo, and right a previous wrong at the same time. Tellez signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh before the 2024 season and posted a solid season, by the team's standards. He batted .243/.299/.392 over 132 games, but was DFA'd on September 24, when he was four plate appearances short of a $200,000 performance bonus.

Pirates could re-sign recently released Rowdy Tellez to right a wrong from last season

Tellez wasn't dragging the team down (not that it had any playoff standing to be dragged down from), and it didn't seem like he had any issues in the clubhouse. Plain as day, the Pirates released him so they wouldn't have to pay him an extra $200,000. General manager Ben Cherington tried to explain the situation away after Pittsburgh was rightly called out last year.

“Zero factor in the decision,” Cherington said of the bonus, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (subscription required). “Aware of it, certainly. I’m aware of the contracts that all players have. No factor at all, zero."

Cherington also said that the Pirates weren't concerned about the optics of Tellez's release, but they should've been. He stated that "Contracts are negotiated in good faith. Then they live out," but if the front office let Tellez's contract live out as he deserved, he would've made an extra $200,000 — god knows Bob Nutting can't have that.

Tellez took the injustice like a champ, and the Pirates should consider giving him another try. Whether Tellez believes Pittsburgh deserves another chance, though, is the more important factor.

The Pirates have proven time and time again that they're unserious and not committed to winning. They haven't signed anyone to a free agent deal longer than one year since the 2016 season, and one look around MLB should show them that isn't a winning strategy.

Instead of competing, the Pirates would rather waste Paul Skenes' prime by surrounding him with bottom-tier players, cutting their more expensive ones, and hoping that fans are happy with the high draft picks the organization will never extend. Even if the Pirates do want Tellez back, it'd be hard to convince him to sign again, and that's exactly what the organization deserves for acting so shamelessly in the name of saving a few bucks.