After acquiring Tommy Pham at the MLB trade deadline along with pitcher Erick Fedde, the St. Louis Cardinals have parted ways with the veteran hitter.
The Cardinals announced that Pham is being designated for assignment on Friday, approximately a day after The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported that the team was placing him on waivers. Initially, it looked like it was possible that Pham could remain in St. Louis if he cleared waivers, but this means that he’ll soon be available to sign with another team, presuming that he declines to report to the minors.
Outfielder Jordan Walker was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take Pham’s spot on the roster. Walker struggled in his two previous stints in St. Louis this season, but batted .263 with a .753 OPS, 23 doubles, nine home runs and 37 RBI for Memphis.
Pham was acquired as a right-handed platoon bat to face left-handed pitching in part of what Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman rated the most impactful 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 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 in his career, he he has batted .268 with an .828 OPS, 42 doubles, 46 home runs and 122 RBI. However, Pham is hitting only .232 with a .762 OPS in such matchups this season.
St. Louis is on the fringes of the National League postseason race, currently 6.5 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 a half-game behind the Cardinals in the standings. Calling up Walker to replace Pham indicates that St. Louis is giving more playing time to younger prospects as 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 would have to pay $484,000, a prorated veteran’s minimum. Pham reportedly intends to play in 2025 and presumably hopes MLB teams will remember that he’s always “prepared to f*** somebody up.”
