Tommy Pham #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates after hitting a double. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Juan Toribio, Los Angeles Dodgers beat writer for MLB.com, reported on April 15 that the Chicago White Sox signed outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league contract.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on April 15, “The veteran outfielder will be guaranteed a $3 million base salary for time spent in the majors and can earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses. He must be added to the roster by April 25, or he can request his release. Also, he will receive $500K if traded.”
Pham, 36, was born in Las Vegas, Nev., and has played ten seasons in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2014-18, the Tampa Bay Rays from 2018-19, the San Diego Padres from 2020-21, the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, the Boston Red Sox in 2022, the New York Mets in 2023, and the Arizona Diamondbacks 2023.
He elected free agency from Arizona on November 2, 2023, before signing with the South Side.
Pham started in Flushing in 2023 and played in 79 games, hitting .268 with 264 plate appearances, smacking 62 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, ten home runs, 36 RBI, 11 stolen bases, 29 walks, 56 strikeouts, and a .820 OPS.
On August 1, 2023, Pham was traded to Arizona with cash considerations in exchange for shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez, who was headed to Queens.
He was activated on the Diamondbacks roster on August 3, 2023, and played in 50 games with 217 plate appearances, recording 47 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 32 RBI, swiping 11 bases, 18 walks, 50 strikeouts, and a .720 OPS before he elected free agency.
Pham played in 16 games in the 2023 postseason with the 2023 National League Champions and hit .279 with 61 at-bats, ripping 17 hits, three doubles, three home runs, four RBI, two walks, 19 strikeouts, and two stolen bases. He played in all five games of the 2023 World Series and lost to the Texas Rangers in the franchise’s second appearance.
In 2022, Pham started the year in Cincinnati and signed a one-year contract that included a mutual option for the 2023 season. He played in 91 games and batted .238 with 387 plate appearances, roping 81 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 39 RBI, seven stolen bases, 42 walks, 100 strikeouts, and a .694 OPS before he was traded to Boston with a player to be named later.
He was activated by the Red Sox on August 2 and played in 53 games, hitting .234 with 235 plate appearances, smacking 50 hits, six home runs, 24 RBI, 14 walks, 67 strikeouts, and .672 OPS before he elected free agency on November 9, 2022, and signing with the Mets for a one-year contract worth $6 million on January 24, 2023.
During his 10 seasons in the MLB, Pham played in 1,005 games, has a lifetime average of .259, and has 3,091 plate appearances, recording 876 hits, 163 doubles, 21 triples, 130 home runs, 431 RBI, 119 stolen bases, 454 walks, 922 strikeouts, and a .672 OPS.