The Pittsburgh Pirates are rumored to be making a pitch for well-traveled Chicago White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham. If the Pirates successfully pull off a deal for Pham, they would be the ninth stop for the 11-year veteran.
After being part of an Arizona Diamondbacks team that made an improbable run from the wild card to the World Series last year, Pham, 36, entered 2024 as a man without a baseball home. Finally, on April 16, after the regular season was well underway, the Chisox signed Pham to a minor league contract. The White Sox selected Pham’s contract on April 26 and installed him in center field as they awaited Luis Robert Jr.’s return from the injured list. Since June 14, Pham has been Chicago’s right fielder. Entering Thursday’s action, the right-handed batter is hitting .264/.332/.378, 5 HR, 18 RBI, and 102 OPS+ in 2024.
Pham began 2023 with the New York Mets, for whom he hit .268/.348/.472, 10 HR, and 36 RBI. The Diamondbacks picked him up in a deadline deal for a prospect. He hit .241/.304/.415, 6 HR, and 32 RBI for Arizona.
Tommy Pham upping that trade value đź’Ł
— Sox On Tap (@SoxOnTap) July 23, 2024
Why the Pirates Should Get Pham
The Pirates’ offensive woes have been well-documented here and elsewhere. Despite some recent improvement, they’re batting .232/.300/.369 as a team. All three of those figures rank 14th in the 15-team National League. They also rank 12th in runs, 14th in hits, and 11th in home runs. With runners in scoring position (RISP), they rank 27th among the 30 major league teams, hitting .229/.312/.370. Where they excel is at striking out. They’ve struck out 922 times so far, the third-worst figure in the NL.
Pham might be attractive to the Pirates for his numbers in RISP situations, where he’s slashing .296/.392/.318 in 44 at-bats. In 26 at-bats in so-called high-leverage situations, he’s batting .346/.500/.346. Admittedly, those are relatively small sample sizes for a regular. By way of comparison, Bryan Reynolds, for example, has 81 RISP at-bats and 73 high-leverage at-bats. Then again, remember Pham plays for the lowly White Sox, who just might be remembered as one of the worst teams in baseball history. Pham has demonstrated that he’s made for big moments. In 31 postseason games, he’s hit .313/.333/.513, including .421/.429/.737 in last year’s World Series. His Arizona teammates praised his character and winning mentality.
As a center fielder, Pham would be stepping into a position where the Pirates badly need an offensive upgrade. They’re getting the worst production from center field in all of baseball. The present platoon of Jack Suwinski (.187/.270/.332) and Michael A. Taylor (.198/.259/.271) isn’t cutting it.
Why the Pirates Shouldn’t Get Pham
Pham hasn’t graded well as a center fielder since 2017. In the outfield in 2024, he’s been charged with -6 Fielding Runs Above Average and -12 Defensive Runs Saved. The Pirates would likely be looking at him as a corner outfielder. As such, he doesn’t move the needle much, if at all. Pham wouldn’t be a significant upgrade over Connor Joe, a right-handed-hitting outfielder who’s batting .243/.328/.389, 7 HR, 30 RBI, and 104 OPS+. Moreover, the Pirates have also been connected to Taylor Ward and Jazz Chisholm Jr., who each hit for more power and play center field better than Pham.
Pham began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014. With St. Louis, he hit .271/.365/.463 until he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the middle of the 2018 season. As a Ray, he hit .287/.385/.485 before they traded him after the 2019 season. There’s an old baseball axiom to the effect that if the Cardinals or Rays come calling to unload a player, hang up the phone. Or, if that’s not an actual baseball axiom, it should be. Since 2020, Pham has been in a state of decline. In typical fashion, he has yet to be as good as he was on those two teams. From 2020 to the present, he’s hitting .242/.326/.390. His OPS+ over that period is 99, indicating just average production.
He’s been declining during 2024 as well. On May 23, Pham was hitting .333/.377/.495, his high for the season. Thereafter, he’s batting .219/.305/.303.
One can’t discount the intangibles Pham would bring to the table. On the other hand, the Pirates already have several veterans, some with postseason experience. How much veteran leadership do they need?
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