After acquiring Tommy Pham and pitcher Erick Fedde at the MLB trade deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals are prepared to part ways with the veteran hitter.
The Cardinals will place Pham on waivers before the Sept. 1 deadline for postseason eligibility, The Athletic’s Katie Woo reports. This is different than being designated for assignment, as Pham can play with St. Louis until another team claims him. If he goes unclaimed, he can remain on St. Louis’ roster through the end of the season.
Pham was acquired as a right-handed platoon bat to face left-handed pitching in part of what Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman rated as the most impactful deal made during the trade deadline. St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak insisted that Pham be included in the Fedde trade with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, Woo said.
However, Pham has hit just .206 with a .653 OPS in 77 plate appearances in his second stint with the Cardinals. The 11-year veteran began his career with St. Louis, where he played his first five MLB seasons. Against lefties in his career, he has hit .268 with an .828 OPS, 42 doubles, 46 home runs and 122 RBI. However, Pham is hitting just .232 with a .762 OPS in such matchups this season.
St. Louis is on the brink of the National League postseason race, currently 6.5 games out of the league’s final wild-card playoff spot, with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs ahead of them. The San Francisco Giants are a half-game behind the Cardinals in the standings. St. Louis could decide to give more playing time to younger prospects if the postseason falls out of reach.
If another playoff contender wants to add Pham, the team must do so by Sept. 1 to make him eligible for the postseason. In three playoff trips — including the Arizona Diamondbacks’ World Series run last season — Pham has hit .313 with an .846 OPS, five doubles, six home runs and 10 RBI.
The Cardinals would be responsible for the remaining $850,000 on the one-year contract Pham signed this season. Any team that picks him up would have to pay $484,000, the minimum for a prorated veteran. Pham reportedly plans to play in 2025 and presumably hopes MLB teams will remember that he’s always “willing to fuck somebody.”
