Ex-Blue Jays fan favourite Rowdy Tellez screwed out of $200K

Former Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Rowdy Tellez has found himself in a frustrating situation.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced they had designated Tellez for assignment, removing the player from their 40-man roster.

But along with losing his spot in the lineup, the fotmer Blue Jays fan favourite will also miss out on a major payday as he was just four plate appearances shy of a hefty $200,000 bonus.

Tellez, 29, inked a one-year, $3.2 million deal with the Pirates, which came with a $200,000 bonus if he hit 425 plate appearances. But after racking up 421 with just a handful of games left, the Pirates cut him — leaving him unable to reach the milestone.

With their playoff hopes already dashed and a last-place finish on the horizon, the Pirates’ decision to part ways with Tellez has fans raising eyebrows. Many suspect the franchise dropped him to avoid paying the bonus.

Folks on social media were quick to point out that the California native’s stats were good enough to keep him in the lineup.

One X user argued that the teams’ money-saving decision could keep free agents away from Pittsburgh going forward.

“Rowdy Tellez deserves better. The fans deserve better. The team deserves better,” another user wrote, chiming in on the heated debate.

Drafted by the Blue Jays in the 30th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Tellez made his big league debut in 2018 and quickly won over Toronto fans with his hitting power.

At just 24 years old, he became the fifth-youngest player in franchise history to hit a grand slam. In 2019, he made even more history, becoming the first Blue Jays player to hit 13 home runs in his first 65 major league games, and 17 homers in his first 85.

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