Reds signing Tommy Pham pending physical

[redsfan9988]

Golly. A good OF signing. Knock me over with a feather.

I tell my kids to not be hasty in judgements. I guess I ought to listen to my own advice.

I’ll say this… I still think this off-season was a bunch of disjointed reactionary moves designed with the primary intention of cutting payroll… that said, given that, I feel half-aaaed okay about the 2022 Reds. I think they’ll contend a bit. I’ll say 80 wins with upside for more if the young pitchers contribute.

[Red X]

Gotta think this clears the starting OF discussion. LF-Pham CF-Senzel RF-Naquin. Who the other OF will be is anyones guess right now.

[Tom Servo]

Pham looks even better when you consider his dropoff only came once he went to San Diego and then look at his splits with the Padres. His away line in 2020 was .271/.358/.458 and in 2021 it was .264/.353/.434. It probably wasn't all Petco but changing all those games over to GABP will definitely be a big difference.

As it is I think this is a nice addition. But if Pham stays healthy this could be a really good addition.

[Ron Madden]

Bobby Nightengale @nightengalejr

Tommy Pham should add power and speed atop the Reds' lineup, probably hitting somewhere between Jonathan India and Joey Votto. He's a career .366/.449/.505 hitter in 101 at-bats at GABP.

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[redsfan9988]

Vs RHP

2B India
LF Pham
1B Votto
CF Naquin
C Stephenson
DH Moustakas
3B Moran
SS Farmer - eventually Barerro
RF Fraley/Senzel

Vs LHP

2B India
LF Pham
1B Votto
C Stephenson
3B Solano
DH Moustakas
RF Aquino
SS Farmer - eventually Barerro
CF Senzel

I’ve seen worse.

[Ron Madden]

Pham was one of the game’s more underrated players early in his career with the Cardinals and Rays. Between 2017-19, the right-handed hitter posted a .284/.381/.475 line while averaging nearly 22 home runs and stolen bases apiece per season. Pham routinely posted high-end exit velocities and walk rates while making a decent amount of contact. A high ground-ball tendency kept him from emerging as an elite power threat, but he was a well-rounded and highly productive offensive player.


Pham, who didn’t emerge as a regular until his age-29 campaign, turned 34 earlier this month. It’s certainly possible his recent downturn is attributable to aging, but it’s worth noting he dealt with a few health issues in San Diego that probably also had a deleterious effect on his performance. Pham missed a month in 2020 after fracturing the hamate bone in his right hand, an injury that could certainly have sapped some of his power. Last offseason, he was the victim of a life-threatening stabbing attack that required 200 stitches to close a wound in his back

Pham’s dip in results has been attributable to what has happened on balls in play. Last season’s 13.9% walk rate remained excellent, while his 22.8% strikeout percentage is right in line with his career marks. Pham still made plenty of authoritative contact. His 47.6% hard contact rate and 94.9 MPH average exit velocity on balls hit in the air were both definitively better than average. The results didn’t align with those batted ball numbers, though, as Pham saw a career-low 13.5% of his fly balls clear the fences.

San Diego’s pitcher-friendly home ballpark didn’t seem to do the veteran outfielder any favors. Pham’s .412 weighted on-base average on fly balls was far outstripped by his .562 “expected” weighted on-base on those batted balls, per Statcast. A few more of those flies should clear the fences at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, perhaps enabling Pham to post numbers closer to his career norms.

That makes him a sensible buy-low target,

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https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

[757690]

Contract details from Nightengale:

It’s a one-year, $7.5M deal for Tommy Pham with incentives included and an assignment bonus if he’s traded, according to a source. The deal is pending a physical, which he’s expected to take Friday.

edit: It’s $6M for this year, with a $1.5M buyout for next season. $7.5M guaranteed.

[Old school 1983]

India
Votto
Pham
Moose
Stephenson
Naquin/Aquino
Solano/Moran
Senzel
Farmer

I feel pretty good about that lineup.

[KronoRed]

Would have been more excited 3 years ago, but it least it makes the outfield less "hope for the best"

[lollipopcurve]

Love the player. Expectations tempered by his age, but this guy competes hard. I think the Reds have had an interest in him in the past. For awhile Pham carried a big chip on his shoulder about not having been promoted to the big leagues by the Cardinals until very late in his 20s. I especially look forward to seeing him play against STL this year and hopefully having a lot to do with handing them Ls.
Amazing how active Krall’s front office has been. I really had my doubts about how effective he could be, but those doubts have subsided. I think they’re trying to thread a needle here, moving to a plan that builds from within while constructing a competitive major league roster that includes some short-term guys they may be able to move at the deadline (to further strengthen the system) should the team not be in contention for the postseason. I really give them credit for the effort they’ve put in — they could have sat back and pocketed the millions given out to some of these vets.
I do expect a lefty bat to be moved now. Bauers, Fraley or Naquin.

[SunDeck]

Pham says his 2021 was difficult because of the stabbing he suffered in October 2020, which limited his off season prep. He also had a hamate fracture prior to that and so it may be worth having some optimism that good health and a hitter friendly park make his signing a good one.

[MoneyInTheBank]

I like the signing overall but a couple of things:

- You didn't give him $7.5M to be the RHH side of a platoon with Fraley. Fraley probably becomes the 4th OFer. He's the Winker replacement, straight up, $ and all.

- Pham is not a CFer anymore, he's your everyday LFer

- I hate to keep going back to it but this makes me scratch my head even more about the Winker (age 28)/Suarez (age 30) trade. You received a 4th OFer (age 27), a lotto ticket pitcher (age 26) with a shoulder issue, a promising prospect and a PTBNL and used the savings to sign Pham (age 34), Solano (age 34) and trade for Minor (age 34) all essentially on 1 year deals.

- This team is so weird

[cumberlandreds]

I suppose this is a good stop gap signing. It still doesn't make up for the production they are losing in Winker and Casto. Signing Pham, Solano and Strickland is probably averting 95 loss season. But still a long way from being a playoff team.

[Mitri]

Pham will help this lineup immensely. He plays to win too, they need more fighters.

[Slyder]

More bandaids for a self inflicted gun shot wound! GREAT! 70 wins here come!