*Photo from The Athletic*
The Cincinnati Reds needed an outfielder, and a pretty good one fell right into their lap. The Reds and OF Tommy Pham have agreed to a one year, $7.5 million deal, with a mutual option for 2023, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Reds have confirmed the deal.
By signing with the Reds, Pham gives manager David Bell a consistent middle of the lineup bat, with the ability to get playing time against left handed pitching. Against lefty pitching, Pham has a .277 average with a .403 OBP and .451 slugging percentage in his career.
Asked about his goals in 2022, Pham said that "I’m playing to get my numbers. There's nothing selfish about that. In the past, I put up really good seasons. I’m playing to get some numbers. I don’t care about anything else. I got to look out for me. At the end of the day, baseball is going to move on without me. I got to get mine right now."
Last season, playing for the San Diego Padres, Pham finished the season with a sub optimal .229 batting average. He posted a .383 slugging percentage and .724 OPS, whacking 15 home runs with 49 RBI's, picking up 14 stolen bases in 155 games for the Padres in 2021, his second season in San Diego.
In Pham's 8 big league seasons, spent with 3 different teams, he has a regular season .265 batting average, with a .447 slugging percentage and .810 OPS. Pham has 97 home runs and 300 RBI's, stealing 89 bases in 732 regular season games. He has a .352 average with a .931 OPS, hitting 3 home runs with 6 RBI's in 15 career playoff games.
Bell said of the Pham signing that "He’s a big player on our team and our lineup. He’s going to play left field. He’s another guy that because of the DH will be a part of that mix. It opens up that rotation. He’ll be a left fielder and be a significant part of our lineup and do his thing."
Pham joins an outfield mix that includes Jake Fraley, Shogo Akiyama, and Aristides Aquino. The Reds have experienced lots of roster turnover this winter, with Pham, Fraley, Mike Minor, Donovan Solano, and Hunter Strickland replacing departed talent such as Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Wade Miley, and Sonny Gray.
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