When the Pittsburgh Pirates were dissatisfied with their play at first base in 2022, they signed veteran Carlos Santana to a one-year contract worth $6.725 million to shore up the position last season.
When the Milwaukee Brewers were dissatisfied with their play at first base last season, they traded for Santana in late July. The player he replaced in the starting lineup? Rowdy Tellez.
That the Pirates signed Tellez to a one-year, $3.2 million contract with incentives that could make it worth $4 million this offseason to play first base shouldn’t be seen as a straight swap, given that Tellez is likely to platoon at the position with Connor Joe and Jared Triolo.
Although the Pirates haven’t revealed their plans about such a rotation, general manager Ben Cherington was willing to roll the dice on Tellez, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound slugger who had a career year for the Brewers in 2022 by hitting 35 home runs and driving in 89 runs but batted .215 with 13 homers and 47 RBIs last season.
“We’re hoping he makes a big impact,” Cherington said of Tellez, 28. “This is taking a bet on a bounce-back. He’s still a relatively young player. He’s a left-handed hitter with huge power. He’s got hitting skill. He’s always had an idea of how to hit. When he’s in his best physical shape, he’s been a really productive hitter. He gives us a threat from the left side that we don’t have a lot of.”
With Andrew McCutchen returning as the designated hitter, Cherington said Tellez is expected to play primarily at first base. Tellez started 62 games and played 570 innings there for the Brewers last season but only six after Santana was acquired. His exact role remains to be seen.
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“I think that’s something we haven’t touched on completely,” Tellez said. “I know I’ll be playing a lot of first base, trying to drive in as many runs as I can. I’ll be trying to have an impact with the bat. Obviously, that’s my calling card.”
Tellez, however, struggled against left-handers last season, slashing .174/.269/.261 with only one of his 13 homers and four of his 47 RBIs. By contrast, Joe and Triolo were productive from the right side of the plate last year, when both switched to first base late in the season to fill the void left by the trades of Santana and Ji-Man Choi, who was shipped to San Diego. (The Pirates have parted ways with Alfonso Rivas, who was acquired from the Padres and made 27 starts at first).
Joe slashed .265/.368/.452 against lefties and accounted for 12 of his 31 doubles, five of his 11 homers and 23 of his 42 RBIs. Triolo was even better, slashing .293/.369/.414 with five extra-base hits in 65 plate appearances against southpaws.
“I want to continue to be a threat in the (batter’s) box versus righties and lefties,” Joe said. “I’ve had a lot of success against righties, and I know that I can continue to have success off righties, so that’s an emphasis. Other than that, just keep hitting the ball hard and that’s going to turn into numbers. … I think if my focus is on quality contact and hitting the ball hard, the numbers will come. That’s where I’m focused.”
The switch-hitting Santana was productive for the Pirates, hitting 25 doubles and 12 homers with 53 RBIs while playing in 94 of their first 101 games. His glove also was an upgrade as he recorded seven defensive runs saved in 721 innings.
So, the Pirates are taking a calculated risk that they match Santana’s impact with a three-player platoon without too much of a defensive drop-off.
Though he has only played 52 1/3 innings over six games at first base, Triolo has a reputation as a quick study with a great glove. A natural third baseman, Triolo has spent the offseason getting comfortable with the idea of bouncing around the infield. He can play second base, shortstop and first base.
“A lot of defensive focus and keeping up with the swing I had at the end of the season,” Triolo said. “Most offseasons, it’s primary work at third base and then touching shortstop and the other positions, but now I feel like it’s a little more focused on the other positions while still also getting third base work in too.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.