Thursday’s signing of free agent Tommy Pham by the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t send shock waves through the baseball world. Nor was it the move an increasingly impatient fan base was looking for. Pirates-related social media was filled with the usual cries of “Dumpster dive!” and “He’s trash!” The reported one-year, $4 million deal has yet to be formally announced by the Pirates. Thus, we can only speculate as to general manager Ben Cherington’s reasoning behind it. As a public service to Pirates fans everywhere, I’ll try to read Cherington’s mind.
Tommy Pham Signed by Pirates
The Pirates will be Pham’s 10th major league team. The right-handed hitting outfielder began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, who drafted him in the 16th round of the 2006 June Amateur Draft and called him up to the big time in 2014. He was part of a highly touted young Cardinals outfield trio that included Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk. (Grichuk was also connected to the Pirates before agreeing to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks.) By 2018, the three were no longer Cardinals.
Outfielder Tommy Pham joined his 10th major league team, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth $4,025,000. https://t.co/HhTjJmzYOp pic.twitter.com/T5dzUAEf6s
— Butler Eagle Sports (@BESportsTeam) February 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
No journeyman has taken more journeys than Pham recently. Soon to turn 37 years of age, he’s played for seven teams in the past three years. For his career, he’s hit .258/.346/.427, 139 HR, 470 RBI, and 111 OPS+ while stealing 126 bases and accumulating 17.8 WAR. However, most of his career highs were achieved in 2017 with St. Louis. That’s when he hit .306/.411/.520, 23 HR, and 73 RBI, and stole 25 bases. Playing for three teams last year, he hit an uninspiring .248/.305/.368, 9 HR, and 39 RBI. He also produced a negative 0.2 WAR. Pham has never had impressive defensive metrics either except, again, in 2017.
Pham has been praised for his toughness and winning attitude and how these characteristics rub off on his teammates. He was credited for giving the Diamondbacks the push they needed en route to the 2023 World Series. He carries a postseason slash line of .315/.331/.492 for his career. That includes .421/.429/.737 in the 2023 World Series, as he tried to single-handedly will his team to victory over the Texas Rangers.
Why Pham Might Fit the Pirates
Don’t take my word for it. For example, Arizona center fielder Alek Thomas, who apparently has a clause in his contract that awards him a bonus based on how many times he says the word “definitely,” told Sports Illustrated, “Tommy was awesome for the time we were together. He was really just like a big brother or uncle. He definitely was really knowledgeable about the game and he’s been around for a long time as well. Just being around him and getting to know the game a little bit better and know the situational part of the game. He definitely knew a lot more than us guys who only have been around a year or two. It was definitely awesome to be able to listen to him and see his side of the game.”
When Pham joined the Chicago White Sox to start 2024, manager Pedro Grifol told Mark Brown of Through the Fence Baseball, “[Pham] had that edge and that winning mentality. He tasted the World Series and that was probably the big thing for him. Beyond the Series, he brings character and an appreciation for the game. He doesn’t take days off. He brings that winning edge that any club would need.”
Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro was equally pleased when Pham was added to his squad last September. “He’s a great worker, tireless worker,” said Quatraro to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “He’s constantly trying to figure out what he needs to do to improve. And for a guy that’s played as long as he has, that’s not always the norm — his willingness to make some changes and listen to suggestions. He plays extremely hard all the time. I think our guys respect that.”
Why Pham Might Not Fit the Pirates
Tireless work and a winning mentality are admirable, but they don’t help one hit the ball. Pham hasn’t hit well lately, and the offensively challenged Pirates need a strong bat in right field, where Pham will presumably play. There’s been some thought that he may work best as a platoon option. However, his splits indicate that he hit right-handers (.256/.309/.365) better than left-handers (.222/.294/.380) in 2024. In any event, a $4 million salary is not one that the Pirates would pay a platoon player.
Pham admitted to Ladson that 2024 was a tough year, having to play for three teams. Ladson also reported that Pham didn’t have much of a spring training in 2024 either. Pham has keratoconus (to us laymen, a weak cornea) and used the exhibition season to evaluate his lens.
Even so, Pham is clearly a player in decline. Since 2020, he’s hitting .240/.321/.387. That’s not a significant improvement over Connor Joe or Bryan De La Cruz, two right-handed hitting outfielders to whom the Pirates declined to tender contracts for 2025. Furthermore, Joe, who will be playing for the San Diego Padres in 2025, is a better outfielder.
Furthermore, after a month back with the Cardinals in 2024, during which time they were 10-13 and dropped out of contention, Pham asked to be placed on waivers so he may join a winning team. That’s what led him to the Royals. Who’s to say Pham won’t eventually become similarly disinterested in the Pirates, who aren’t projected to be contenders in 2025? Then what?
The Last Word
When Cherington ultimately explains this deal, it’s sure to be a long explanation without substance. He’ll say they like the player, they believe there’s more there than he’s shown recently, etc. The guess here is that Cherington is banking on Tommy Pham producing enough to stay in the lineup while guiding the way for the young Pirates. It’s a deal more similar to one a team might make once it’s on the verge of contending. Maybe that’s how Cherington sees these Pirates. So far, however, he may be alone in that belief.
The post What Tommy Pham Can Bring (and Not Bring) to the Pirates appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.