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Royals Among Teams With Interest In Tommy Pham

By Anthony Franco | June 20, 2024 at 9:52pm CDT

There may be no player who is more likely to be traded over the next month than Tommy Pham, who is hitting well as an affordable rental on the worst team in the league. It’d be very surprising if the White Sox didn’t move him before the July 30 deadline.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Royals are one of the teams that have shown interest. There’s nothing to suggest the Royals are the favorite or that any Pham trade is imminent. Heyman writes that multiple clubs are unsurprisingly looking at the veteran outfielder.

Kansas City has the worst outfield among playoff contenders. Royal outfielders have been the least productive offensive group in the majors. They entered today’s game with a cumulative .209/.268/.343 batting line. They’re 28th in batting average and slugging and dead last in on-base percentage. Six of the seven players who have logged meaningful outfield reps for K.C. have been well below-average hitters. The lone exception, utility player Garrett Hampson, has league average numbers propped up by a .418 batting average on balls in play.

The Royals have used Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel and MJ Melendez as their primary outfield. Melendez is hitting .180/.246/.364 over 224 plate appearances. Isbel’s .225/.270/.348 line isn’t much better. Renfroe had a terrible first two months after signing a two-year free agent deal. He’d started to heat up in June before suffering a left foot injury that shelved him last week. Since Renfroe went down, the Royals have rotated Adam Frazier, Dairon Blanco and primary designated hitter Nelson Velázquez through right field. None of that trio has provided much offensively this year.

Pham is probably a better hitter than anyone in the Kansas City outfield. The 36-year-old ran a .256/.328/.446 line with 16 home runs across 481 plate appearances between the Mets and Diamondbacks last season. That didn’t translate into the kind of free agent interest that his camp was anticipating. Pham remained unsigned into the middle of April. He eventually inked a minor league contract with Chicago, though that came with an understanding that he’d be called up by the end of the month after getting some tune-up work in Triple-A.

The deal comes with a $3MM base salary and includes a $500K assignment bonus in the event of a trade. Pham and the Sox front office were likely both hoping for such an outcome. A trade would allow the Sox to recoup a mid-level prospect while giving the outfielder an opportunity to play for a contender.

Pham has held his up his end of the bargain, turning in solid numbers over 39 games. He’s hitting .276/.349/.388 over 169 plate appearances. His power is down — he has only three homers — but he’s drawing walks at a solid 9.5% clip against a 20.1% strikeout rate. Pham had a minimal injured list stint earlier this month because of a mild left ankle sprain.

Chicago gave Pham 26 starts in center field while Luis Robert Jr. was on the shelf. That’s his first fairly regular work there since 2018. A contender wouldn’t view him as more than an emergency option in center, but he’s a roughly average defender in left field.

That has been Melendez’s purview in Kansas City. He’s a former top prospect who hasn’t made enough contact to tap into his power upside. Melendez has punched out in 26.5% of his career plate appearances and owns a .217/.302/.388 line over parts of three seasons. He’s a left-handed hitter who hasn’t found consistent success against pitchers of either handedness.

The Royals presumably still have hope for Melendez, who is in his age-25 season. K.C. general manager J.J. Picollo said he anticipates improvements from the in-house outfielders while acknowledging the team could look outside the organization if they don’t start getting more production.

Earlier this week, Picollo told Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville on The Windup podcast that the team would like to add a player with the versatility to move between the infield and outfield. That’s not Pham, who has played all 7000+ innings of his MLB career on the grass. Picollo’s comments certainly don’t rule out acquiring a traditional outfielder, though. The GM expressed a broad desire to deepen the batting order and suggested he’d be aggressive in supporting the organization’s best chance at a playoff berth since their 2015 World Series.

The White Sox won’t have any qualms about trading Pham within the division. Conversely, the return would be modest enough that Kansas City shouldn’t be concerned about surrendering the kind of prospect capital necessary to a division rival. Beyond the desire for offensive help, Picollo has spoken on a couple occasions about their desire to add power arms to the bullpen. White Sox closer Michael Kopech fits the bill and has reportedly drawn some attention from K.C., among others. There’s no indication the teams have actively explored any kind of package deal, but it’s easy enough to see the potential appeal of that kind of arrangement.

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Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals Tommy Pham

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View Comments (59)
Post a Comment

59 Comments

  1. LordD99

    1 year ago

    Who doesn’t need a violent criminal on their team?

    I’m likely not serious. Likely.

    14
    Reply
    • VegasSDfan

      1 year ago

      pham is a thug, nothing more. If i ever see that guy on the street, i am going to clown him.

      10
      Reply
      • woodhead1986

        1 year ago

        Good luck.

        3
        Reply
      • Unclemike1525

        1 year ago

        Don’t forget to have a friend put a note in here for you. Posthumously of course.

        9
        Reply
      • Johnny Devil

        1 year ago

        The only time you will see him on the street is when he is dropping a few quarters in your tin cup .

        6
        Reply
        • HardkoreHam

          1 year ago

          Real lol, well done

          Reply
      • washatkc

        1 year ago

        lol. Yea. You would run and hide.

        Reply
      • Reynaldo's

        1 year ago

        Be careful, he practices “all kinds of fighting in the offseason” for a reason.

        2
        Reply
  2. Shadow Banned

    1 year ago

    He gets around like Wham Bam thank you Pham

    13
    Reply
  3. ChiSox. MySox. WhySox?

    1 year ago

    My source says Pham for John McMillon (?) is being discussed.

    Reply
    • James123

      1 year ago

      i could see it- McMillion is about as good as an overage relief only prospect can be….. and is the sort of guy that but for covid would be more cemented in the bigs…. but if they are looking for a power arm out of the pen, why trade one you have on the cusp (or already on the AAA to majors shuttle)

      I would expect something more similar to Hiro Wyatt- basically a lottery ticket (former 3rd rounder signed above slot, cold weather HS pitcher)

      Reply
  4. ocladfan

    1 year ago

    It was just a little slap on the wrist

    Reply
  5. outinleftfield

    1 year ago

    That will be his 6th team in 2 years. Then a 7th to start 2025 if he can even get a contract. how bad of a teammate does he have to be to be shipped out like that every year?

    11
    Reply
    • James123

      1 year ago

      yes- and at this point he is a 36 year old fringe starting OF/4th OF. Most teams have internal options and would rather find the cheaper Ryan McKenna for that role (just as a name of a guy who is more or less freely available and is a solid 5th OF type)

      Reply
      • JoeBrady

        1 year ago

        McKenna has a career OPS+ of 77. No one in contention is trading fr him in the hope that he becomes a #4 OF. Pham is a consistent 100+ player.

        1
        Reply
    • cwsOverhaul

      1 year ago

      Positive spin is teams keep viewing him as a viable enough contributor to acquire short-term. He at least plays well enough in an environment with so many big dollar FA player contracts becoming dead money soon after signing.

      Reply
      • outinleftfield

        1 year ago

        Short-term is the key word. He is apparently so bad in the clubhouse that no one wants to keep him on their team very long for fear of his attitude infecting the rest of their players. Even the dysfunctional White Sox are shipping him out even without anyone that can fill his role available on the farm. . .

        Reply
  6. VegasSDfan

    1 year ago

    All of a sudden in 2023 he learned how to hit again. I dont buy it. He was worthless the previous few years..

    2
    Reply
    • Tigers3232

      1 year ago

      @Vegas he’s hitting a whole .026 higher than last year and .020 higher than career avg. Also hitting HRs less frequently this season

      Reply
    • JoeBrady

      1 year ago

      Poor take. He had a 112 OPS+ last year, and a 114 for his career. He has a 111 this year. One could argue that his BABIP is very slightly elevated, but that’s small potatoes.

      1
      Reply
  7. GangGreen23

    1 year ago

    Miguel Andujar on the A’s might be a better option than Pham.

    He’s batting like .330

    10
    Reply
  8. HalosHeavenJJ

    1 year ago

    May I interest you in Taylor Ward?

    Great guy, much better glove than Pham, controlled for two seasons after this one, and doesn’t get shanked at strip clubs.

    4
    Reply
    • sad tormented neglected mariners fan

      1 year ago

      Yet will cost more in terms of prospects

      4
      Reply
    • woodhead1986

      1 year ago

      Leave it to baseball dorks to think getting stabbed outside a strip club and slapping Joc are reasons to think someone sucks.

      2
      Reply
      • HalosHeavenJJ

        1 year ago

        Hard to be on the field when recovering from a stabbing or being suspended.

        It is one thing to miss time due to an injury another due to being an idiot.

        Reply
    • JoeBrady

      1 year ago

      I like Ward a fair amount, but now you’re talking about trading for a starting OF, not a #4. That’ll cost (but might still be worth it).

      2
      Reply
  9. YEP

    1 year ago

    Tommy Pham for Peyton Wilson.

    Reply
    • rememberthecoop

      1 year ago

      Or Peyton Manning.

      Reply
      • YEP

        1 year ago

        Too old

        Reply
  10. Suitcase Simpson

    1 year ago

    funny how the consensus here during spring training was that this guy would/should never get signed because his production isn’t worth the supposed behavioral issues. now he’s a hot commodity on the trade market. time to eat crow.

    4
    Reply
    • woodhead1986

      1 year ago

      It happens every year with pham, people hate him for totally not racist reasons…

      3
      Reply
      • CardsFan57

        1 year ago

        Is it cultural to slap another baseball player over fantasy football? Just asking.

        2
        Reply
        • woodhead1986

          1 year ago

          Joc was told to stop running his mouth, he didn’t. Pham corrected the issue. I’m not sure what culture you’re referring to, probably a bad attempt at veiled racism, but where I’m from that’s how a grown man operates.

          1
          Reply
        • CardsFan57

          1 year ago

          My point that not liking Pham has nothing to do with racism. Explain why Mookie is one of the most popular players in the league while Pham is one of the least. You may want to review your own way of looking at the world. Committing assault is not correcting the issue.

          5
          Reply
        • woodhead1986

          1 year ago

          So what? they like mookie the bland, bowling dork, but not the one who is outspoken and individualistic and prideful. You don’t have to ve a klansmen who hates all black men to be racist fwiw, and whenever a black man has any edge, he’s called a thug and other code words.

          He slapped a man for talking trash, if that’s assault to you, grow up. and hey, I bet Joc shut his mouth so I think the issue WAS solved.

          Reply
        • CardsFan57

          1 year ago

          Trolling, trolling, trolling

          1
          Reply
        • mlb fan

          1 year ago

          “Mookie the bland”…It’s idiots like you that spread racism and have different standards for different skin colors, right dum dum?

          Reply
        • Liberalsteve

          1 year ago

          Now, this is good trolling. For sure a white guy saying this stuff. Probably a conservative saying that black men can’t control their emotions and need to be held to low standards. Also, that nerdy things make you less black.

          Reply
        • woodhead1986

          1 year ago

          Yeah it’s trolling when I’m not racist. Brilliant deduction.

          Reply
  11. DonOsbourne

    1 year ago

    I’m surprised there isn’t more noise about Jesus Sanchez and Bryan De La Cruz. Both are young and have been reasonably useful players for a few years. They both probably offer some hope for improvement in a better environment than Miami. The Marlins probably aren’t in a hurry to move either, but I doubt they consider either franchise cornerstones.

    Both would be a better investment than Pham.

    1
    Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      1 year ago

      Meh. Jesus is just alright alright

      5
      Reply
      • woodhead1986

        1 year ago

        With you maybe

        Reply
    • woodhead1986

      1 year ago

      Royals fancy themselves contenders, they’re not looking for a project. They need a proven hitter, that’s Pham

      Reply
  12. Unclemike1525

    1 year ago

    The White Sox should be trading anything that isn’t nailed down and if you want this floor give me a crow bar. Thanks

    6
    Reply
  13. This one belongs to the Reds

    1 year ago

    Great to see the Royals willing to go for it.

    Other teams should take notice of that fine example.

    Reply
  14. pharmor_loverchicagoridge

    1 year ago

    He is cancer to a clubhouse. Why would any club want this clown in the dugout? He talks a great game but my money is that Wilson Contreras would have knocked him out with one punch. This guy walks around all tough shadow boxing and looking like he is Mike Tyson. I will be glad when this guy is totally out of baseball. Ok back to drinking my Zima in the backyard

    6
    Reply
    • JoeBrady

      1 year ago

      As a RS fan, I wouldn’t want him around the kids.

      1
      Reply
    • woodhead1986

      1 year ago

      And yet, despite your ignorance and vitriol, he is coveted and acquired by contenders year after year. Keep seething though!

      Reply
  15. User 3014224641

    1 year ago

    Can’t wait to watch him disrupt the clubhouse chemistry wherever he goes.

    5
    Reply
    • woodhead1986

      1 year ago

      Is that why winning teams keep getting him? Because he’s so bad and toxic? Jeez, it’s a shame he doesn’t gamble on the game or date some teenagers. Ya know, like a real hero.

      1
      Reply
      • pharmor_loverchicagoridge

        1 year ago

        If he wasn’t toxic which he truly is then why would he be signed to a long term contract by these winning teams ? Anyone who walks around in the outfield and shadow boxes is a tool. He is the equivalent of Milton Bradley. Cancer , disruptive, and not a good person to have in a clubhouse

        Reply
  16. The Brokenheart Kid

    1 year ago

    And the special relationship between the Sox and the Royals continues.

    Reply
    • avenger65

      1 year ago

      You think we can keep the Chicago-KC connection going by giving Getz back to the Royals? They wouldn’t even have to give us anything in exchange.

      1
      Reply
  17. Strunk Flugget

    1 year ago

    Any strip clubs in the immediate vicinity of Kauffman? Asking for a friend.

    4
    Reply
  18. 2020vision

    1 year ago

    Tommy Pham is a person of interest.

    1
    Reply
  19. Dumpster Divin Theo

    1 year ago

    Waters for Pham boom done

    Reply
  20. Devlsh

    1 year ago

    I’d take a stab at him if I were the Royals.

    3
    Reply
  21. JayKCU

    1 year ago

    Pham is a locker room cancer. After what he did to Joc Pederson I was out. I just can’t root for the guy.

    Reply
  22. tesseract

    1 year ago

    Dude must have dirt on MLBTR staff. Most written about mid player ever.

    Reply

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