Slugger Tellez signs Minors deal with Mariners, invited to camp

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The newest member to the Mariners¡¯ Spring Training clubhouse is also probably the largest.

Veteran slugger Rowdy Tellez -- all of 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds -- arrived on Friday morning after passing his physical and signing a Minor League contract that includes an invite to big league camp. Before noon, he was already on the backfields at the Peoria Sports Complex taking on-field batting practice.

Turning 30 on March 16, Tellez will compete for reps at first base and designated hitter, the latter spot being his clearest path to contributing if he were to reach the Majors with Seattle this season.

Currently, that spot is among the most ambiguous at the outset of Cactus League play, with Mitch Haniger and Mitch Garver the leading candidates. The lefty-hitting Tellez gives the Mariners a complement to the righty-swinging Mitches.

A seven-year big leaguer, Tellez spent last season with the Pirates, where he was largely used in a first-base platoon role, though his defense has always been graded well below league average, as he was worth minus-5 outs above average by Statcast last year. Luke Raley, coming off a breakout year of sorts, is slated to see the most time at first base against right-handed pitching.

Yet it¡¯s the bat that¡¯s always been Tellez¡¯s calling card.

Tellez hit 13 homers in 421 plate appearances last year, for a slash line of .243/.299/.392 (.691 OPS). Eleven of those deep flies came against righties, against whom he carried a .693 OPS. For a Mariners team that regularly deploys platoons, this is where he could carve out a role with a strong spring.

For his career, which also included stints with the Blue Jays and Brewers, Tellez has a slash line of .234/.303/.436 (.739 OPS) with 105 homers, 319 RBIs, a 22.5% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate across 666 games.