Sports
Pirates cut Rowdy Tellez, insist pending bonus wasn't reason
Aug 20, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) celebrates with Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Michael A. Taylor (18) after scoring during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates designated first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment on Tuesday, a move that saved the team $200,000 in a performance bonus he just missed reaching.
Tellez was due the bonus if he received 425 plate appearances this season, and he had 421.
The Pirates, already eliminated from postseason contention, started the day with six games remaining in their season.
Tellez had signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract in the offseason with several incentives triggered by plate appearances, a potential All-Star selection and postseason awards.
“It did not factor into the decision at all,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of the decision before the team lost 7-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers. “It came down to when the minor league season ended and these guys getting here. That’s what factored into the decision the most.”
Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington also defended the timing, saying the bonus was “zero factor in the decision.”
“Aware of it, certainly. I’m aware of the contracts that all players have,” Cherington said. “No factor at all, zero. And, no, I’m not concerned. If you’re asking about optics going forward and how it affects business and things like that, no. Contracts are negotiated in good faith. Then they live out.
“We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year. To his credit, he fought through some difficult times earlier in the year and fought his way out of it. Had periods of success and periods of frustration. This is just where we got to in the season. Had nothing to do with where the plate appearances were lining up.”
Tellez, 29, hit 13 home runs and drove in 56 runs while hitting .243 in 131 games.
The Pirates also designated veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor for assignment and recalled outfielder Joshua Palacios and infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Taylor, unlike Tellez, was not approaching any performance bonuses. Cherington said cutting players is a difficult part of the business, but he doesn’t anticipate any issues within the team because of the timing of Tellez’s release.
“Guys understand where we are,” Cherington said. “In the old days of expanded rosters, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. But there are 28 spots, and 14 are going to go to position players. We feel like we have to get the 14 guys on the team, wherever we can, who have the best chance to contribute past this year. I think our players understand that.
“Doesn’t mean it’s easy. Players have relationships. I think you can be appreciative of who those guys are and respectful and be a good teammate to them … and also understand that this is a part of the game. It does happen. It’s one of those things where I think two things can be true at the same time.”
Tellez has hit .234 with 105 home runs and 319 RBIs over seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays (2018-21), Milwaukee (2021-23) and Pittsburgh, spanning 664 games.
Taylor, 33, signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason and hit .193 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 113 games.
In 11 seasons with the Washington Nationals (2014-20), Kansas City Royals (2021-22), Minnesota Twins (2023) and Pirates, Taylor has hit .235 with 100 home runs, 120 stolen bases and 353 RBIs in 1,082 games.
Palacios, 29, has hit .230 with two homers and seven RBIs in 20 games with Pittsburgh this season.
A fourth-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016, Palacios has spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays (2021), Nationals (2022) and Pirates (2023-present) and has hit .231 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 153 games.
Peguero, 23, has played in 60 games with the Pirates since 2022, hitting .239 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.
He hit .257 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs in 128 games at Indianapolis this season. He led all Pittsburgh minor leaguers in RBIs, doubles (29) and hits (127) and tied for second with 46 extra-base hits. In six seasons in the minors, Peguero has hit .268 with 56 home runs and 280 RBIs in 516 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Inaugural Bill Walton Classic set for Nov. 7 with heavy San Diego flavor
Bill Walton with sons Luke (left) a player with Arizona and Chris, a player with San Diego State, before a game at Cox Arena on Dec. 7, 2002. The inaugural Bill Walton Classic will be played on Nov. 7 in San Diego, the Hall of Famer’s longstanding residence until his death due to cancer on May 27, 2024, at age 71.
San Diego State will play a to-be-determined opponent in the men’s half of a doubleheader. Walton was a fixture at games on the SDSU campus when his son, Chris, played for the Aztecs from 2000-05.
Walton was born in suburban La Mesa, minutes from the San Diego State campus. The doubleheader will be played at Pechanga Arena, which was known as the San Diego Sports Arena when Walton played games there as a member of the NBA’s San Diego Clippers in the early 1980s.
“This is long overdue,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said at a press conference at Helix High in La Mesa. “Bill Walton was a treasure and anything we can do to put his name out there, we’re all for it.”
Walton first came into national prominence when he starred at Helix High before attending UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. Walton led the Bruins to two national titles, highlighted by his 21-of-22 shooting performance while scoring 44 points in an 87-66 rout of Memphis State in the 1973 title game.
The Portland Trail Blazers selected “the Big Red Head” with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA draft. Three years later, Walton led the Blazers to their lone NBA title. After suffering through years of foot injuries, he earned another ring with the Boston Celtics in 1986 to cap his 468-game NBA career. He was league MVP in the 1977-78 season for Portland.
Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He continued to be a popular figure in his post-basketball life as a television commentator who would say off-the-cuff things and talk about this favorite band, the Grateful Dead.
“I’d love to wear something tie-dyed for that game,” Dutcher told reporters, referencing Walton’s love for such clothing.
The other Bill Walton Classic contest will be a women’s game between two local institutions: the University of San Diego and UC San Diego.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Who's No. 2? Books shifting from Arvell Reese to David Bailey for Jets
Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas Tech defensive lineman David Bailey (DL31) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The New York Jets continue to hold their cards close to the vest when it comes to the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
But the most popular online sportsbooks think they see a tell: Texas A&M pass rusher David Bailey has passed Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese as the favorite to be selected immediately after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza hears his name called first by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Twenty-four hours ago, BetMGM listed Reese at -400 as the favorite to go No. 2 while Bailey could be secured at +200. At that time, Bailey had been backed by the most total bets at 21.2% and Reese by the most money at 37.2%. But by Wednesday night, Bailey moved into the favorite’s role at -145 while Reese has plummeted to +110.
DraftKings, meanwhile, listed Bailey as -150 to go No. 2 with Reese at +115 and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love a distant third at +8000.
This seismic surge occurred despite Bailey having his “top 30” visit to Jets headquarters canceled by the team. Jets coach Aaron Glenn downplayed not bringing Bailey in for a pre-draft visit, then Bailey supported that view Wednesday by saying he has spent plenty of time with the team’s brass and recently caught up with them on FaceTime.
Yet another question: Will the Jets hold on to that second overall pick?
New York owns five of the top 103 selections in the draft and could opt to move down or stay put at No. 2 and/or No. 16 on Thursday night. The Jets also have a pair of second-round picks on Friday night.
If the team stays put at No. 2, the question between Bailey and Reese has been one of the more interesting pre-draft debates.
The 6-foot-4, 243-pound Reese ranks the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2026 draft by Field Level Media, followed immediately by the 6-3, 247-pound Bailey.
Bailey tied for the NCAA lead with 14.5 sacks last season and is a weight-room warrior who explodes off the ball. He has been compared to Denver Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto, who faced similar questions about his potential as a run defender coming out of Oklahoma prior to the 2022 draft.
Reese could be a reliable edge setter in a 3-4 or a thumping presence in the middle of a 4-3. He also can stick with tight ends in coverage, and provides a tantalizing combination of tools and versatility. A comp to retired pass rusher Barkevious Mingo, who by all accounts failed to live up to pre-draft expectations, might have many NFL personnel in the Jets’ shoes favoring Bailey.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Red-hot Matt Fitzpatrick popular PGA Championship pick
Apr 18, 2026; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Matt Fitzpatrick eyes his line on two green during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Matt Fitzpatrick’s recent run up to a career-best No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking has drawn significant attention from the public ahead of next month’s PGA Championship.
Fitzpatrick outlasted World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to claim a signature event title at the RBC Heritage on Sunday. It was an exclamation point on a run that began with a runner-up at The Players Championship, a win at the Valspar Championship and a tie for 18th at the Masters.
After a bogey on the 72nd hole on Sunday that dropped him into a playoff with Scheffler, Fitzgerald rebounded to knock his approach with a 4-iron into a stiff wind to 13 feet and drained the birdie putt on the first playoff hole.
Following the effort Fitzgerald, 31, went from 35/1 to 20/1 to win the second major of the year at the PGA Championship by Oddschecker. The 2022 U.S. Open champion has also been the most-backed player this week with 23% of the total bets placed on the PGA Championship winner since his victory at Harbor Town.
The second-most bet player this week has been Cameron Young, who tracked down and beat Fitzpatrick at The Players. Young has been backed by 6% of the total bets this week along with Ludvig Aberg, Sam Burns and Justin Rose.
Scheffler is still the PGA Championship favorite at 7/2, giving him a 22% implied probability to win. He has been backed by 5% of the total bets this week along with LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm.
The second shortest pre-tournament odds belong to Masters champion Rory McIlroy at 7/1. Rahm is 12/1, followed by Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau at 16/1 and Fitzpatrick and Young at 20/1.
Fitzpatrick and his brother, Alex, are also the co-favorites ahead of this week’s Zurich Classic, the only team event on the PGA Tour. They are 11/1 along with the team of Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry.
–Field Level Media
Inaugural Bill Walton Classic set for Nov. 7 with heavy San Diego flavor
Who's No. 2? Books shifting from Arvell Reese to David Bailey for Jets
