Mariners will risk a huge mistake if they don't reward Rowdy Tellez's hot spring

When the Seattle Mariners signed Rowdy Tellez to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training last month, not much was expected of him. He had achieved little the two previous years in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, respectively, best evidenced by a sub- .700 OPS in both seasons.

However, Tellez has turned out to be a pleasant surprise in Peoria during Cactus League play. He has .282/.310/.564 slash line and three home runs in 39 at-bats, highlighted by 92.5 mph average exit velocity. As a result of his productivity, the Mariners now face an important looming deadline.

As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, the 30-year-old has three opt-outs in his deal, with the first one coming this Sunday. He can ask for his release from the team if he has not yet been added to the 40-man roster, to see if there are more beneficial opportunities available with other teams ahead of the season.

More to Rowdy Tellez than meets the eye

It's easy for some not to take Tellez too seriously, but to do so ignores a player who has some intriguing potential to add to the Mariners lineup. Consider that as recently as 2022, he set career highs of 35 home runs and 89 RBI while with the Brewers.

Even last season with the Pirates, the Sacramento, California native showed what he was capable of. Yes, he had an overall OPS of just .691, but in June, July and August he was respectively .926, .916 and .813 in this category.

Despite this success, Tellez appreciates that he still needs to display more consistency. As per Tim Booth of The Seattle Times, he said: " The second half of ‘24, that June, July, August, I was exactly who I was. There’s stretches, but the key is putting it together for a whole season. Nobody really cares about a nice stretch when your team’s not doing anything. And that was something where I wanted to be able to impact this team in a positive way when I step on the field."

Potential opportunities for Rowdy Tellez with the Mariners

There are plenty of questions remaining about who is going to play where for the Mariners, with Tellez's best opportunities expected to come at first base and designated hitter. He has the added advantage of being able to offer a rare left-handed bat which could benefit the team.

Key to the 2013 30th-round draft pick's chances is the health of Mitch Haniger, who could begin the 2025 season on the injured list due to left shoulder soreness. If he does, this could open the door to Tellez being part of a platoon at designated hitter with Mitch Garver. He could also see time at first base, with Luke Raley in turn seeing playing time as the Mariners' fourth outfielder.

While Tellez's future in Seattle is still uncertain at the time of writing, Mariners manager Dan Wilson has been impressed with what he's seen to date. Also as per Booth, Wilson said: "He’s putting up a good at-bat every time. He’s got the threat of going deep every time. I think the thing that’s impressed me the most, probably, is his left-on-left at bats. He’s been using up the middle quite a bit left-on-left and has picked up several hits."

At stake for the former Toronto Blue Jay is $1.5 million, which he will earn if he is on the Mariners' Opening Day roster, but will also become guaranteed if he makes the team at any point in 2025. In this respect, he may well decide to stick around in Seattle even if he has not been added to the 40-man roster by this weekend.

Such a decision would allude to the level of confidence Tellez has in himself, although it also helps that he will still have two more opt-out clauses to come, on May 1 and June. 1. In any event, he is approaching the whole situation with the right attitude, as he said: "You just want to have fun, man. And I think that’s the biggest thing in this game is just trying to fit in where you’re supposed to fit in."

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