There’s another twist in the Pirates-Rowdy Tellez saga

It’s an interesting twist on the drama as Tellez would reportedly be open to return to a team that pulled the plug on him and cost him some well-deserved money.

But this roller-coaster ride has one more turn left in it. 

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has adamantly denied that the approaching bonus had anything to do with Tellez being jettisoned from the roster. However, the timing is certainly curious, especially with the discussion that it was partly due to the Pirates wanting to see younger players on the roster for the final six games of the campaign. Tellez and Michael A. Taylor were replaced by Liover Peguero and Joshua Palacios, both of whom were at Triple-A when the decision was made.

While Peguero is 23, Palacios is just over four months younger than Tellez, making the “younger players” comment another in a series of head-scratchers around the move.

Regardless, if Tellez is willing to return to Pittsburgh, it shows he may be ready to put the money aside in the chance of returning to a clubhouse where he played a veteran role. However, the Pirates may have already turned the page in that regard, knowing the offseason could see a flood of veteran first basemen hit the free-agent market, with names such as Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt and Christian Walker leading the possibilities. If those sluggers are on the market, the value of Tellez, who slashed .243/.292/.392 this season with an OPS+ of 91, may be diluted.

While the Pirates may not be in the market for a big name at first base in 2025, they also likely know they could once again strike a deal with Tellez to fill that role … if that’s the direction that they think would benefit a team interested in pursuing a youth movement.

In his MLB career, Tellez has spent three-and-a-half years with the Milwaukee Brewers, two-and-a-half with the Toronto Blue Jays and one with the Pirates. In seasons where he has played in more than 100 games (five), Tellez has only finished the year with an OPS+ of more than 100 once (113 with the Brewers in 2022). Those numbers might explain why Tellez is willing to look past this year’s lost bonus in the hopes of landing back with the Pirates in 2025.