On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The Pirates announced that they have designated first baseman Rowdy Tellez and outfielder Michael A. Taylor for assignment. Those two active roster spots will go to infielder Liover Peguero and outfielder Joshua Palacios, who have both been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported about Tellez on X shortly before the official announcement. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 38.
Both Tellez and Taylor were signed to modest one-year deals in the winter as the Bucs tried to supplement their roster. Tellez got a $3.2M guarantee, while Taylor got $4M. Unfortunately, neither signing worked out well for the Bucs, as both players have struggled this year.
With just a handful of games left in the season and the club well out of contention, the Pirates have bumped them off and will presumably give more playing time to younger guys who could perhaps factor into next year’s club.
Tellez, 29, was non-tendered by the Brewers after a poor 2023 season. He hit 13 home runs and slashed .215/.291/.376 for a 78 wRC+. But since he had hit 35 home runs in 2022 with a .219/.306/.461 line and 110 wRC+, it wasn’t unreasonable for the Bucs to expect a bounceback.
In the end, Tellez had an up-and-down season in 2024 that reflected his inconsistent results in prior years. His Pittsburgh tenure started terribly, as he hit .177/.239/.223 through the end of May. He then got scorching hot for three months, hitting .310/.346/.533 from June to August. But he’s gone cold again lately with a .116/.255/.209 performance in September.
Put together, Tellez has a .243/.299/.392 line and 89 wRC+ on the year. He isn’t considered a strong defender and isn’t a burner on the basepaths, so he doesn’t offer much value if he’s not producing with the bat. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference consider him to have been below replacement level this year. The Bucs will likely spread the first base playing time around to a few different guys for their remaining games, but the position should be a target area for them to upgrade this winter.
It’s also possible there’s a financial motivation for moving on from Tellez. Per Ethan Hullihen on X, Tellez would have unlocked a $200K bonus by getting to 425 plate appearances and is currently at 421.
Taylor has always been an excellent defender in center field but with inconsistent offensive results. Last year was perhaps his best showing at the plate, as he hit 21 homers for the Twins, but he still struck out 33.5 percent of the time. His offense cratered this year, as he struck out 35 percent of the time and slashed .193/.253/.290 for a wRC+ of 50. Among players with at least 300 plate appearances this year, only Brandon Drury and Eddie Rosario have a lower wRC+ mark. Oneil Cruz, who struggled defensively at shortstop, has been moved to center field lately.
The Bucs will put both players on waivers in the coming days, but they are sure to go unclaimed. They won’t be postseason-eligible with any claiming team, and their recent performance won’t give them any appeal for the remaining games of the regular season. Each player has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, so they will likely be going into offseason mode a few days ahead of schedule.
More must-reads:
- Multi-tools: The 22 greatest do-it-all players in MLB history
- Aroldis Chapman is quietly putting together a historic season
- The 'MLB-first, all-minority lineup' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Cubs' Craig Counsell earns most tame ejection of MLB season
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected early in his team's game against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, and home plate umpire David Rackley didn't put up with much before giving him the hook. Chicago had outfielder Ian Happ at the plate with a runner on first and one out in the top of the third inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Right fielder Kyle Tucker attempted to steal second on a 3-2 pitch in a tie game, but he was thrown out at second. The pitch was also called a strike, which ended the inning. Counsell felt that the ball had missed outside and came out of the dugout to state his case to Rackley, who was in no mood to hear it. Counsell was quickly dismissed from the game. The Cubs lost their first two games of the series against San Francisco and scored a combined five runs in those contests, so Counsell may have been trying to light a fire under his team. Though he seemed a bit surprised when Rackley ejected him. Chicago entered Thursday with a record of 76-57. Counsell's team was 6.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central but atop the NL wild-card standings.
Knicks can fortify backcourt with ideal feee agent point guard
The New York Knicks have a strong backcourt as is, but could use one more playmaker should injuries plague their roster next season. Knicks: Monte Morris is a logical option in free agency Among the options remaining in unrestricted free agency is Monte Morris. A reliable backup veteran floor general of his ilk could service New York well. Morris averages 9.5 points with an uber-efficient shooting line of 47.4 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three-point range, topped off with 82.7 percent from the free throw line for his career. The Iowa State product averaged 5.3 assists per game in 2022-23. He hovers just below four APG for his career. A playoff-tested Morris is what the Knicks need With 57 games of postseason experience under his belt, Morris can bring veteran leadership to New York’s locker room. He also dictates the pace well on the court. Though the Knicks were a noticeably good passing team last season, the ball club does not have another volume passer behind All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, though Jordan Clarkson is an elite scorer off the bench. Miles McBride is a promising two-way guard alongside him. Thus, Morris would be a quintessential depth option for New York to house. Should his number be called at any point in the season, he’d be a piece that could start or play substantive minutes off the bench.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Pulled Off A Risky Move That Flirted With Tampering In Landing Key Free Agent
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a very different team ever since General Manager Omar Khan took over the front office in the middle of the 2022 offseason. Khan has approached each year since with a bit of aggression, while striving to improve the roster and give Pittsburgh their best chance at winning their seventh Lombardi Trophy. Pittsburgh has been more active on the trade market, more hungry to bring in big name players during free agency, and more willing to trade away their own talent if things haven't been going the way the organization envisioned. The 2025 offseason was a big one for Pittsburgh as the organization parted ways with George Pickens and brought in DK Metcalf. Several other additions were made as well, including Jalen Ramsey. During the 2024 offseason, Pittsburgh brought in inside linebacker Patrick Queen in free agency. This was a big add as he had previously been an All-Pro for the Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh had to play him twice a year. After one of those games, Head Coach Mike Tomlin shared a message with Queen on the field in Pittsburgh. Queen told this story during the most recent episode of Not Just Football With Cam Heyward. "So we was playing in Pittsburgh, and Mike T comes to me after the game," Queen explained. "He's like, 'You're going to be a Steeler.' I'm like, 'Who said that?' I had no idea who said that. And he just walked off. So I'm looking around wondering who said that. Once I got here, he told me that it was him. It doesn't even register, like in the time, that you could speak things into existence." Queen became a free agent after the 2023 season, so the game he is referring to is likely the won that the Steelers won at home that year. Kenny Pickett found Pickens down the right sideline for a touchdown late in the game and Pittsburgh won the contest by a score of 17-10. Rather than celebrating, Tomlin walked up to Queen in order to plant a seed about him potentially joining Pittsburgh in the following year. Before bringing this story up, Queen checked in with Cam Heyward to make sure it was legal to discuss. It might be frowned upon for an opposing coach to go up to a player on another team after a game like this and say something, but it doesn't fall into the category of tampering. Heyward is Pittsburgh's rep and a vice president for the NFL Player's Association, so he knows how the tampering rules work -- and he knows his coach did nothing wrong. What Tomlin did might flirt with the idea of tampering, but it sounds like he made one simple comment to Queen after the game and then walked off the field. No contractual business was discussed, and Tomlin made no form of illegal contact since the conversation took place after a game. Steelers' Mike Tomlin Played A Major Role In Patrick Queen Coming To Pittsburgh It is no secret that Tomlin is one of the most well-respected coaches in the NFL, and players all around the league would love to have the opportunity to play for him. Queen was that same way, and he got an up close look at Tomlin twice a year while he was with Baltimore. The linebacker was coming up on free agency, and the Ravens did not seem to have any intention of signing him. Queen had interest from other teams around the league outside of the Steelers, but he wound up choosing Pittsburgh, despite having more lucrative offers elsewhere. This shows the effect that Tomlin can have, and why he is beneficial to the organization in Pittsburgh, despite facing a ton of criticism.
Dan Orlovsky Shares New Expectations of Packers after Micah Parsons Trade
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has made it clear that the Green Bay Packers' blockbuster trade for EDGE Micah Parsons cranks up the pressure on their Super Bowl push The stunning deal sent the Dallas Cowboys two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, which signals Green Bay has entered a win-now mode. The Packers also immediately signed Parsons to a four-year $188 million extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history and tying him to Green Bay through the 2029 season. Dan Orlovsky's High Expectations for the Packers During a Friday appearance on ESPN's "First Take," Orlovsky outlined new expectations for the Packers after acquiring Parsons. “This team should be in the NFC Championship Game, and it will be a disappointment if, in this now let’s call it a three-year window, they don’t win the Super Bowl… You get a game wrecker, add it to that defense, here we go,” Orlovsky said. Last year, the Packers already had one of the NFL's top-performing defenses, ranking sixth in both total yards allowed per game (315.6) and points allowed per game (19.9). Adding Parsons, who in 2024 accumulated 43 tackles, 12 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback knockdowns, 21 hurries and 46 pressures in just 13 games, elevated the unit as a whole. Dan Orlovsky Urges the Packers' Offense to Be More Aggressive Orlovsky went on to add that with the addition of Parsons, the Packers' offense, led by quarterback Jordan Love and head coach Matt LaFleur, should take a more aggressive approach. "If I was Matt LaFleur, we are going to be the most aggressive in the NFL because guess what, if you throw picks, we traded for that guy and paid him a ton of money to go get the ball back for us," Orlovsky added. "So this is the team that should be in the NFC Championship Game now after this move." Green Bay's offense already excelled in big plays last season, having the fourth-most completions of 20-plus yards (59) and tied for the most completions of 40-plus yards (14). Packers' Super Bowl Odds The Packers enter the season tied for the fifth-hardest schedule in the NFL with an opponent 2024 winning percentage of .557. However, ESPN BET still gives Green Bay the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl. Between Parsons and other additions such as CB Nate Hobbs, OG Aaron Banks and WR Matthew Golden, the Packers face some of their biggest expectations since the Aaron Rodgers Era.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
