Outfilder Tommy Pham won his arbitration case against the Rays, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The GSE client will earn $4.1MM rather than the $3.5MM figure that the team had submitted.
This victory may not make for a particularly massive increase in Pham’s 2019 earnings, but it’s a substantial sum that will also be reflected in both of his two ensuing arb paydays. Arbitration salaries are critical to any player, but are perhaps of particular importance to Pham, given that he’ll reach his 31st birthday before the start of the 2019 season.
The Tampa Bay organization happily took a chance on the late-blooming Pham over the summer and will still enjoy his services at an appealing rate of pay. Pham raked upon joining the Rays, slashing .343/.448/.623 down the stretch. All told, he’s now a .279/.375/.482 hitter through 1,458 MLB plate appearances.
This decision is now reflected in MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.
oh no, Rays are gonna have to dump his contract now
Oh!
Hell earn
The cheapest organization in sports is going to arbitration with a guy who is worth twice what they’re paying him? I wouldn’t play for the Rays unless I had absolutely no other choice. They are a low-life, scumbag organization.
You clearly don’t understand how arbitration works.
He just wanted to be “that guy on the net”.
Phamily Man will be traded for prospects by the deadline. Smart move by Rays.
They’re in a dead market without a stadium, gotta do what you gotta do.
The Rays management are probably perfectly happy with how things are running. They are competitive enough that no one can really complain, yet I would imagine they are hugely profitable due to all of the MLB shared revenue.
Lol..Kevin..in the future you may want to only comment on subjects you know something about.
Getting a bit old with all the Rays are cheap…the Rays have no fans….that their stadium stinks…. (that ones true)….blah…blah. Give them this. They do more pretty much with less every year. Their marketing is clueless. (no cash at the park when many fans are over 70?) But they manage to stay competitive.
Their stadium DOES stink (I’ve been there). There are NOT any fans, and yes, they ARE cheap. What’s your point?
Not news anymore. So what?
So how exactly are they not supposed to be cheap when they have no fans, terrible attendance, low concessions/merch/parking revenue, and a previously terrible TV deal? They’ll be able to increase payroll once they get their new stadium. The point of running a business isn’t to lose money every year.
MOVE. Cheapskates don’t deserve a franchise.
Then retract the two Florida teams and let them join the International League (AAA) where they belong. Spring Training ball is enough MLB for Florida, they can’t keep running these two organizations like AAAA.
I agree. South Florida (and yes, Florida folks, to me, Tampa-St. Pete as well as Miami is South Florida) just is not, it appears, MLB-friendly. It’s not that South Florida isn’t sports friendly. The Fins and Buccs both sell well in the NFL even in down years. Heat draw at least OK in down years. Lightning have strong support.
But MLB? It’s just not a thing there.
The population is disproportionately transient, and thus already have their team allegiances by the time they live there.
Moving wouldnt change ownerships just the location the cheapskates are at. Rays fanbase just prefers to watch the games on tv instead of going to the games lol
So you don’t understand market size huh?
The Stadium is fine and always clean, I go there 20 times a year. Paying 1 billion from the Tampa or ST Pete Florida taxpayers is quite a commitment. Most owners put in 3/4 to all the money as the Giants ownership did . Why is our ownership expecting more from us? Not fair business dealings.
Rays should move to Montreal. Win-win.
I think that’s what they want. With the last stadium plans falling through it gets more and more likely.
Problem is they’re locked in I believe now till the current contract expires.
gee; You hit the toenail right on the head. A fan base in their 70’s don’t need more things, they need less. But they WILL sometimes shop for the grand kids.
Good for Pham, it was the right call.
Phamtastic news for Tommy
I laughed.
Pham-tastic! Great to see Tommy get paid. He has worked so hard and overcome so many injuries. Fun to watch player!
Pham became the top offensive player in St. Louis over his last couple of years. He’d still be starting there but couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Maybe he learned to control that through the trade. Good luck Tommy!!
He’ll be traded to some team for 3 Class A pitchers who will all be anointed Cy Young Award winners in-waiting by Rays fans.
OR….
Pham/B. Lowe/ Faria to Indians for Kluber……Tribe gets a legit OF, a potential pretty good one, and a spare tire…..Snell/Kluber/Morton/Yarborough finishes ahead of the Yankees…..
The latter scenario is quite interesting…
Cleveland would want no part of that, and why would a team that doesn’t want to take on $4 million for Pham want to take on 4x that for Kluber?
Maybe this year the Rays’ FO is actually more concerned with winning than payroll…..well, maybe. Besides, their payroll is super low this year, and Kluber is, practically, only a 1year for 17M deal; the rest are options. And you save the 4M on Pham.
I’m not sure the Tribe wouldn’t be interested. Pham’s a pretty good player; Lowe projects to be at least MLB average; there are worst long relievers than Faria.
It’s pretty obvious that nobody is bidding on the big-buck guys this year, either in FA or trade. Especially big buck guys on the wrong side of 30. That package might be the best Cleveland could get.
If that’s allegedly the best they could get, they’d just keep him. If they were forced to deal him for the best offer, he’d have already been traded by now.
@Michael Chaney I agree. No way Cleveland does that deal. If that’s the most value they can get back for him they’d just keep him. Important to remember that they don’t HAVE to trade him. He’s not a player forcing his way out demanding a trade or just being problematic for the team. As a contender in a weak division they have little incentive to move him for less then they think he’s worth or for a package they don’t really like. They can afford to keep him if they aren’t offered what they want.
So a “pretty good player… at least average and…and there are worst long relievers….sounds like great value for a perennial Cy Young candidate of an ace on a team-friendly deal that doesn’t need to be dealt. And I thought the Padres fans came up with the most ridiculous trade scenarios….
I love the Rays FO but they lose an arbitration case every year, LOL, cheapstakes.
He won because he told the arbitrator he was the best f…….. outfielder in the game.
I still think he should have signed his Cardinals extension…..
Love you, Pham. Love you, Rays. Be what my Mariners probably won’t in 2019 — an underdog playoff contender full of overlooked offensive forces and an oddball array of talented arms. Be they players with chips on their shoulders or simply players who were considered no more than throw-ins when initially acquired, I hope Tampa Bay prove a lot of onlookers wrong. Especially some of the bigger dogs of the AL East.
I’m discusted that the Rays Ownership chose to arbitrate this case. Pham was a stud over the 2nd have of last year and you try to low ball him? I’m a Ray fan that disagrees with some of the things Pham says about us, but to not pay him 500k more from his cheap salary was a slap in the face of fairness. The owner just signed a new cable tv contract for some 90 mill per year which makes the Rays profitable without a single person at the ballpark. Try acquiring that contract Montreal or Vegas if you want the Rays or MLB team!
They did him a favor, he strives on being slighted so when they took the case to a hearing and then had to point out his flaws they just pissed him off and gave him incentive to produce even more.
This guy walks around pissed off, my guess is, he just got paid and he will regress. This is why he is no longer a Cardinal because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He deserved it
Some of us still miss him in St. Louis.
Ya but Bader is a freaking spark-plug too
The Rays are known for having strong coaching staffs, being innovative on the field, smart in the FO and they contribute a lot to the local communities. Yet they face a tough market. Sucks that random people just hate on them because it’s easy. Literally EVERY team has arbitration cases but when it’s the Rays it’s just them being cheap..
Some of y’all need to worry about your own teams. Throwing a lot of shade towards the Rays when your team is likely trash and you’re jealous of the success.
Not hating on St. Pete, but there is literally zero reason an MLB should be there. The stadium is a wreck and the only fans are in bed by 8:00 after hitting up the Golden Corral. Move that team to Nashville, Portland, Charlotte or Montreal, but Tampa has zero business having an MLB franchise.
You’re hood Ghost – you make a valid argument. It’s the smart guys who act like ‘oh the Rays can’t afford him now – they’ll trade him for 3 A pitchers blah blah’. Like let’s be real here, Rays win nearly every trade they’re involved in. They have a sick farm system and compete in the big leagues.
First, I’m a Cards fan. No worries.
Second, for shïtes and grins, metro Tampa-St. Pete is bigger than:
1. Baltimore
2. Denver
3. St. Louis
4. Pittsburgh
5. Cincinnati
6. Kansas City
7. Milwaukee:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_statist…
Well yea when you take two large cities in two separate counties and lump them together, of course it’s gonna be bigger than any one city…
Dude, those are all metropolitan areas in multiple counties that I listed above. St. Louis covers, IIRC, five counties between Missouri and Illinois. #fail.
Lol no they’re not. And you clearly don’t understand the definition of metropolitan. Pretty obvious you’re from the Midwest.
Just for the record Baltimore, Denver, Pittsburgh and Cincy are not what you claim them to be #failfail
Also, the “real” Bay Area includes multiple counties. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco%E2%80%93Oaklan…
#FailFailFail.
And metro Seattle includes both sides of Puget Sound.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_metropolitan_area#Me…
And, Kansas City, St, Louis, Cincy (and Twin Cities) are divided by rivers, which also constrict highway access.
Pham Phaaaaaaaam
Oklahoma City Devil Rays has a nice ring to it
The Rays overachieve every year. They have a good lineup and the best 1&2 starting pitchers in ages. Probably will lose 90!
“That’s why you play the games”
As a cardinals fan it was sad to see how they treated Pham. He deserved bettee and hopefully he can put up a fantastic year to get the bigger payday ge deserves
Sad how they treated him? Ha! For 1, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. 2, he was a poor defensive CFder. But most of all, his mouth got him traded.