The Brewers could have non-tendered Rowdy Tellez earlier this winter if they wanted.
Despite his team-leading 35 home runs in 2022, the club could have made a convincing case for cutting ties with Tellez and searching for a new first baseman. While his power numbers were impressive, he finished the season with a poor .306 on-base percentage. The one-dimensional nature of his offensive production limited him to a 110 wRC+.
That’s still an above-average showing at the plate, but it’s barely enough to compensate for Tellez’s negative value in the field.
Tellez plays first base, which is regarded as one of the least difficult positions to field.