Tommy Pham is on the open market for a third consecutive season. The veteran outfielder is in a better spot than he had been from 2021-22, as he’s coming arguably his best year since 2019.
In an appearance on the New York’s Post podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, Pham said his representatives at Vayner Sports have had conversations with roughly 10 teams. While he said he has yet to receive an official offer, Pham indicated that interest is far more robust than it was last offseason. The righty-hitting outfielder told Heyman and Sherman that he heard from just three teams before he signed a $6MM guarantee with the Mets in the middle of January.
Pham unsurprisingly didn’t name any of the clubs that have checked in. He suggested he’s seeking an opportunity to continue playing on an everyday basis. “I don’t view myself as a platoon player,” he replied when asked about his free agent priorities. “I’m not comfortable going into a situation where they’re saying ’hey, you’re only going to play against lefties.’ I still want to play every day. That’s most important to me. Then winning, of course.”
Landing a job as a team’s primary left fielder seems attainable after Pham’s solid performance in 2023. He hit .256/.328/.446 with 16 home runs through 481 plate appearances. As he has throughout his career, he posted strong exit velocities. Pham’s respective 9.8% walk rate and 22% strikeout percentage weren’t far off the league averages. He also stole 22 bases in 25 attempts and rated as a neutral corner outfield defender.
Pham’s offensive production was balanced. He hit for more power against left-handed pitching but had a higher batting average and on-base mark against same-handed arms. His .262/.332/.435 slash versus righties and .245/.322/.465 showing against southpaws aren’t that dissimilar. Pham’s production was concentrated more heavily early in the season. He hit .268/.348/.472 for the Mets before running a .241/.304/.415 line upon being dealt to the Diamondbacks on deadline day. Pham ran a .279/.297/.475 slash over 16 postseason contests during the Snakes’ run to the World Series.
Turning 36 in March, the 10-year MLB veteran may again be limited to one-year offers. He should at least find a loftier guarantee than last year’s $6MM figure and a two-year pact isn’t entirely implausible. Pham’s old teams in Queens and Arizona each have questions about their left field situations. The Braves, Nationals, Twins, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mariners and Yankees are among other speculative suitors for corner outfield help.
Philadelphia
Won’t be Philadelphia. If the Phillies were unhappy with their OF, I feel like they would have just put Harper back out there. Pham doesn’t want to platoon, either
I think the Cubs should pick him up.
Please no.
Doubt he resigns with the Mets. Didn’t he call them the laziest team he ever been a part of?
Somehow I feel like he’s talking about Fantasy Football…
Tommy Pham gonna slap that comment out ya d@mn mouth!
Joc will protect me!
>.<
Joc couldn’t even protect himself >.<
Safe to say he isn’t interested in platooning with Joc Pederson
That would be the best platoon in history.
By measure, the only better Platoon mates were Sgts. Barnes and Elias… and we all know how well that ended!
That didn’t end well for Elias
Minnesota
White sox
Would kind of make sense. Old dude on a short term deal good enough to maybe help make things interesting or at least be worth something in a deadline deal.
Would have made sense last year when I was screaming for it because everyone other than Rick Hahn knew that Colas wasn’t ready.
Now, the Sox are toast. Might as well find a young player to develop and play there since they’re gonna lose over 100 games. Why would Pham or any decent FA sign with the Sox?
They need to trade Eloy, Cease, Robert and Vaughn.
Yankees as a stop gap until Jasson Dominguez return’s
He will get a deal to play everyday with a team no doubt. Question is if a contender will give him an offer to play everyday.
Can rule out the dodgers and giants since they would prob platoon him.
He’s a risk in my view at the likely salary point. I’d go younger/cheaper to use this money elsewhere.
Show off.
I feel like like it’ll be a West Coast team. He’s from Las Vegas. And although he doesn’t have any family of his own. I believe he does have relatives in Las Vegas. I think his twin sister and grandmother who raised them are in Vegas.
I know they’re still pre-Vegas, but the A’s make sense I guess?
Yeah. Guaranteed starting job. Guaranteed traded to a contender by Aug 1.
Reds
Reds needs more pitchers or needs more bats
What prison is his dad being held in? Doh!
I don’t know. Maybe he was deported back to Vietnam.
I have no knowledge of his dad being in prison but taking your word for it what does that have to do with him? Are the sins of the father the sins of the son
If he doesn’t have any family, that would mean that he doesn’t have any relatives
He has a twin sister. So he definitely has family. He also has a brother.
The Giants should sign him
He can choose to be a regular on a second division/rebuilding team or take a reduced role on a contender, I’d think. White Sox or Royals make sense.
Chupacabra: I doubt he’d want to play on a 100+ loss team.
Tommy Pham is regressing. His power numbers are down every year his obp is shaky and the 20 plus steals won’t happen again. Besides he can thank the rule change for that. Shows you how thin free agency is in the outfield this off-season if 10 teams are after Tommy Pham. No offense to him but wow.
Regressing? it’s called age…He’s aging. Go ahead, let’s get the AkShuLLy out of the way 🙂
if you;re alive, and you die, is that regressing? If you played baseball, but now can only play Nintendo, is that aging or regressing? 🙂 If you’re saying Pham is playing like 18-year-old Pham…which would be regression, then you’re wrong…because he can;t run…
Akshully,.
People regress physically as they age. That is still regression! He is not as good as he used to be, that is regression.
Regression is a return to a former or less developed state. Aging is the process of growing older. Too different things. Life and sports are also too different things. Pham had an outlier of a year he is due to regress. Baseball to Nintendo?? I get that your trying to be witty but take your attempt to be clever down the road.
The only person that believes that Tommy Pham is getting interest from a third of the league is Tommy Pham himself because his agent is clearly lying to him.
Probably platoon interest, now he and his agent are trying to drum up more.
My exact same thought, and that’s why he openly expressed NIT wanting be a platoon guy.
ISO the last four years:
2020: .101
2021: .154
2022: .137
2023: .190
The fact he verbalized that he didn’t want to be part of a platoon makes me less surprised about hearing from 10 interested teams.
The vast majority of them likely only wanted him as a part-time player.
@Chris
“Pham’s power numbers are down every year”
Last season, Phams slugging and Isolated slugging were higher than he’s had in five seasons.
Career high in doubles if that’s your thing.
He’s been about 10% better offensively than average over the past few years.
I agree. Yes, there are fewer good OF Free Agents this year.
Advanced metrics for one season out of a careers worth of stats isn’t a progression. It’s an anomaly. He hit 27 doubles last year his career high was 33 way back in 2019. He’s a platoon player who is regressing. He was 10% better last season. If you do the math his ops+ over the past 5 seasons is 99. That’s a below average player.
49 teams were interested in me…until they saw my bum knees.
I used to be a pro baseball player until I took an arrow to the knee
I could have went to the University of Idaho. Now I just film myself throwing footballs. Maybe one day I’ll get noticed.
In between my arthritis pain clinic and psychiatrist appointments.
“I could have went to the University of Idaho.”
English like that probably is why you couldn’t have GONE to a more academically prestigious and challenging school.
The joke.
^^^^^^^
You.
He’s a league average producer. Someone will sign him.
Farhan and the Giants love mediocrity
Won’t be the Giants. They are on record on this
Giants should stop being PC wusses and sign him. Dude hits homeruns in world series games.
Giants already have a log-jammed outfield as is. They need to upgrade their infield more.
@#FireFarhan: Then he definitely won’t sign with the Giants. You have to, you know, play in World Series games to hit home runs in them.
@HBan22 Then they should definitely target Bellinger and Lee, like Farhan is doing, right?
Then he definitely won’t be signing with any other California team either
Pham is a clown, pass on that circus
I wouldn’t mine seeing him with the Twins. But, I think Arizona is a good fit too
This has Farhan and the mediocre Giants written all over it
I like the right handed bat for the Twins, but I don’t think he would get other than a platoon
Wherever he goes he’ll be traded at the deadline.
Orix Buffaloes are going to have a talented left fielder.
Why- been poor at best- not getting any younger- shidt booted him count san diego out
This has Jerry DiPoto all over it
I know, it does, and that makes me sad. Not the help we need. AJ Pollock 2.0…..Maybe be a little better but not much…
I like Tommy Pham as a player…
But there has to be a reason why he’s been on 7 teams in 10 years! Clubhouse cancer?
Yes. Horrible attitude.
That’s a shame cause he’s a damn good player.
Not in the top 20 in the league, but definitely well above average.
20? Tell us the 10 who are not!
And just like that he’s gone. Wham bam thank you Pham.
Time he phamoosed.
With that attitude and baggage I hope that the Braves try harder for another option in LF. Joc Pedersen isn’t a saint in regards to trash talking I’m sure, but knocking somebody around about fantasy football games? Cmon Man.
This dude does not belong on a winning organization whether he platoons or not.
He maybe the Bluejays fall back option if something else falls thru. I think they need someone like Teoscar Hernandez, or trade for Eloy Jeminez or Nick Castellanos. I think you could get Nick for next to free if you pay 6-10 mil per season for him with philly paying the rest and Eloy might not cost much more. I think they need a DH type who could play some games in the OF Teoscar would be an everyday OF and they could still get a DH type. I’m of the belief they need to leave Chapman alone, use 1 of there top prospects as the 3B and back up SS, then get an everyday OF aswell as a 2b and DH. Biggio is the IF/OF utility and Schneider can be the back up IF who still get lots of ABs. Ideally the 2v they sign could slide over to 3b if the prospect faulters and they still have a good 2b floor
Interesting, Murphy. I mostly agree – except for jamming up the DH spot with another Belt-type that has no versatility. DH should be a spot to rotate players through for days off – especially the unforgiving surface at Rogers Centre. Increase Biggio’s presence in the mix. When healthy and with regular ABs he really improved toward the end of last season. Also need someone to manage Guerrero so he can live up to his potential.
The Cardinals got rid of him because of his attitude and general demeanor AND the fact he’s got a degenerative eye condition. His best seasons were with the Cardinals, and while he’s been reasonably productive since. Bully for him.
I always liked him because he would speak his mind — even if he’s a bit nuts. I hope he’s able to sign with someone, and it sounds like he will.
I really hope he doesn’t go to Atlanta, but I’m pretty sure AA is smarter than that…
Atlanta is usually pretty big on keeping their clubhouse full of genuinely good, fun-loving guys, and Pham doesn’t seem like a fit…
Don’t sweat it. AA know his stuff. He won’t waste $ on or ruin club house dynamics with Pham.
@richardC
“Braves…genuine good guys, fun”.
Every team promotes that image. Good, fun, local guys who play for the love of the game.
I am not sure the Braves are any better or worse than the average team.
Allegedly:
John Rocker was …, BJ upton was pretty salty, Kenny Lofton was a malcontent, Yunel was unlikeable, Fick was unlikeable, Cox DV, Chipper DV, Ozuna DV, Copollela scandal, McCann was always pissy about other players,
Furcal gave his new offer to another team which is frowned upon and lied 3 years birth certificate, Olivieras continual arrests, Melky out of shape, taunting, PED scandal.
I’m not saying any of these necessarily make someone bad person. But it is one of the few data points that fans know. It isn’t publicized when a player helps an old lady across the street.
My above post is just 30 minutes spent reminiscing on ..issues.
I hate saying all of that, because almost always reality rains on people’s parade and makes the historian the bad guy.
Better than a typical platoon OF, but not a full-time OF either. A fourth OF on a team that has a somewhat defective OF group.
The Mariners will overpay. Pham will have the worst year of his career. He’ll sign a minimum deal next offseason, have slightly better numbers, and then retire. This is what we do.
Pham highly overrates himself. He is the Grinch of baseball: I wouldn’t touch him with a 39 and half foot pole (so to speak). He should find a nice home in KBO or the Atlantic Leage.
They say a lot of players read this site. I imagine Pham reading these comments and smashing his iPhone, or hunting us all down like Jay from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.
Tommy Pham gonna find each one of these fools and beat that d@mn @ss!
Giants should sign him
*Doing a parody of Paul Rudd in I Love You Man* “Slappin’ the face, big time”
I feel like last year, before he went to Boston, no one wanted this guy. Now a lot of teams are looking at him. I’ve liked him and feel pretty good about that
Tiggers
I believe the Phillies will give Rojas 250-300 at bats at AAA. He skipped AAA last year and was basically worthless with the bat in the playoffs. If that pans out, I see him returning as the short side of a platoon in CF with Marsh.
That said, Philly would be a good spot for Pham as their starting LF. And if winning is important to him, well, Philly is a good place for him to play.
All of the above is moot if the Phillies trade for Mike Trout. That’s a long shot IMHO, but supposedly the Angels will entertain offers for Trout.
The Angels, baseball’s worst run franchise, made a mistake by not trading Ohtani at the deadline last year. Now, they will have nothing to show for him other that a draft pick when someone else signs him.
He can always hit lefty unruly patrons at a strip club.
I always respected him as a player, but never realized what a genuine weirdo he is until this year. He’s clearly got some very legit socialization issues. Just watch any interview with him and you’ll see how awkward he is and now that the memo is out that he’ll slap anyone over a fantasy football draft, I gotta think that whatever clubhouse he’s in has to be pretty tight and difficult to let loose.
Then again, he was an important part of a World Series team this year, so maybe I’m just wrong.
Pham is currently at 876 career hits, so if he receives the regular playing time he’s seeking, it’s reasonable to think he could get to 1,000 in 2024.
He’s example of a player still in the minors at 25 (AA) who became a regular MLB player at 27 and has had a solid career. Fans now assume a player will never make it based on their age and minor league level.