After acquiring Tommy Pham at the MLB trade deadline with pitcher Erick Fedde, the St. Louis Cardinals are ready to part ways with the veteran hitter.
The Cardinals will place Pham on waivers before the Sept. 1 deadline for postseason eligibility, reports The Athletic’s Katie Woo. This is different from being designated for assignment. Pham can play with St. Louis until another team claims him. And if he isn’t claimed, he could remain on the roster through the end of the season.
Pham was acquired as a right-handed platoon bat to face left-handed pitching, part of what Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman rated the best deal made at the trade deadline. St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak insisted Pham be included in the Fedde trade with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Woo.
However, Pham has batted only .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, playing his first five MLB seasons there. Against left-handers, he’s batted. 268 with an .828 OPS, 42 doubles, 46 home runs and 122 RBI. However, Pham is only hitting .232 with a .762 OPS in such matchups this season.
St. Louis is on the fringes of the National League postseason race, 6 1/2 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 also a 1/2-game behind the Cardinals in the standings. Yet St. Louis could decide to give more playing time to younger players if the postseason falls out of reach.
If another playoff contender wants to add Pham, the team must do so before Sept. 1 for him to be eligible for the postseason. In three trips to the playoffs – including the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ World Series run last season – Pham has batted .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 will have to pay $484,000, a prorated veteran’s minimum. Pham intends to play in 2025.
