For Tellez, Seattle is the 'perfect' spot
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Rowdy Tellez identified the Seattle Mariners as the ideal landing spot this winter. When the Mariners reciprocated, he jumped.
"I was already packed and ready to go,¡± said Tellez, who makes his home in Florida. ¡°When they called, I said, ¡®Perfect.¡¯
¡°It¡¯s very similar to places I¡¯ve been before, good pitching staffs and players that want to win. You have guys who have played at high levels for a long time.¡±
Tellez is in Spring Training on a Minor League contract that will pay him $1.5 million if he makes the Opening Day roster and includes opt-outs if he is not on the 40-man roster on March 23, May 1 or June 1, according to sources.
Tellez¡¯s combination of left-handed power and veteran presence gives the Mariners a lot to consider as they look to balance a roster that includes left-handed hitters Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford and switch-hitters Cal Raleigh and Jorge Polanco.
Primarily a first baseman, Tellez also has been used as a DH in a 105-homer, seven-year career that began in Toronto and has included stops in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.
¡°When you look at what Rowdy¡¯s been through, the leadership that he can bring, the experience that he has, it¡¯s an interesting piece, and [we¡¯re] definitely going to continue to watch,¡± Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. ¡°I think he¡¯s really attached to this group pretty quickly, as most guys do."
Tellez¡¯s selling point is his power. He hit 21 homers for the Blue Jays in his first full season in 2019 and is only two years removed from a 35-home run season with the Brewers in 2022, his only full season as a healthy, everyday player.
While injuries, including a fractured ring finger on his left hand suffered in July 2023, have kept him from reaching that level of production since, he is certain that the pop remains. You don¡¯t forget how to walk.
¡°My swing feels good, like it did a couple of years ago,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go and happy with where I am at.¡±
Tellez, 29 on March 16, had 13 homers in each of the past two seasons, with the Brewers in ¡®23 -- the year he debuted on the mount while pitching the final inning of the Brewers¡¯ NL Central-clinching victory over Miami -- and last year with Pittsburgh.
He was on pace for a 20-homer season in 2023 before the forearm and finger injuries kept him out for six weeks. The finger injury, suffered while he was shagging fly balls before a game in Cincinnati, was the most frustrating. Tellez had surgery to repair it that night, but it never felt right; he had 12 homers in 79 games before the injury, but one in 27 after that.
¡°That one sucked,¡± Tellez said. ¡°That one really took a toll, and then trying to come back made it even worse.¡±
Things did not feel right until the middle of 2024. After a sluggish start, he hit 11 homers in 203 at-bats with a .788 OPS in his final 68 games with the Pirates, a stretch that seemed to indicate all was well -- but it ended on a sour note. The Pirates released him in late September, just four plate appearances short of 425, a plateau that would have triggered a $200,000 bonus.
¡°You can use it as motivation, put a chip on your shoulder,¡± Tellez said. ¡°But ultimately it narrowed down to me and I wasn¡¯t playing good enough. It¡¯s a business. They made a business decision.¡±
Now with the Mariners, Tellez has spent time in camp with hitting coach Edgar Martinez, who emphasizes the mental part of hitting.
¡°He¡¯s like an open book that has hundreds and hundreds of chapters,¡± Tellez said. ¡°Just picking his brain as much as you can. When you can deal with a Hall of Famer, it is only going to benefit you.¡±