the Philadelphia Phillies wanted to acquire veteran outfielder Tommy Pham before he ultimately signed with the Chicago White Sox, according to USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale.
“Pham was asked by reporters his first day with the Chicago White Sox why he chose to sign there,” Nightengale reported. “Was it the opportunity to be an everyday player instead of just a couple of times a week like the Phillies wanted? Was it being able to live and play in beautiful Chicago? Nope. ‘Just came down to one,’ he told reporters. ‘The economics.’”
Tommy Pham Could Provide an Offensive Boost in the Philadelphia Phillies Outfield
Pham is now on the eighth team of his 11-year MLB career, and despite waiting until well after the season began to settle on a deal, it makes sense that the Phillies and a range of other teams would have sought his services.
He has a career .259/.351/.435 slash line, with a solid .774 OPS, 16 homers, 68 RBI and 22 stolen bags for the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks last year.
Perhaps most attractive for the Phillies is the fact that Pham can play all over the outfield, with 582 career starts in center field — a spot the team could be looking to improve offensively as their primary options Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache are both defensive specialists.
“Either Rojas is here to stay, in which case they can swap Pache out for a more potent bat, or he needs some time in the minors to become the hitter he currently isn’t,” David Murphy recently argued for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Change can be a good thing. It can radiate a sense of urgency throughout the clubhouse.”
