*Photo from the Boston Globe*
That outfielder they were looking for has now been found. The New York Mets and OF Tommy Pham have agreed to a one year, $6 million deal, according to Andy Martino of SNY. The Mets have confirmed the news.
Pham's contract has an extra $2 million in bonuses that can max the deal at $8 million. Pham will become the 4th outfielder in a Mets outfield picture that includes Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, and Mark Canha. He figures to get plenty of time against left handed pitching, with a career .843 OPS against lefties.
Last season was split between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. Pham ended the season with a .236 batting average, .374 slugging percentage, and .686 OPS, hitting 17 home runs with 63 RBI's in 144 games played.
Pham offers the Mets an interesting blend of power and speed. In each of his last 5 full seasons, he has reached double digit home runs, and is one of just 25 active players with 100 home runs and 95 stolen bases in his career. His most recent 20 homer, 20 steal season came in 2019, when he had 21 homers and 25 stolen bases with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Another thing Pham has done recently is hit the ball hard, ranking in the 93rd percentile in average exit velocity last season. He has played all 3 outfield positions in his career but has played mostly left field in recent seasons. He can also get reps at DH when necessary.
Pham has suited up for 5 different teams in his 9 major league seasons. In that time, he has amassed a .259 batting average, .354 on base percentage, and .433 slugging percentage, adding 363 RBI's and 114 home runs in 876 games played. Pham has a .352 batting average and .931 OPS in 15 playoff games, adding 6 RBI's and 3 home runs.
This offseason, the Mets have brought in Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, Justin Verlander, Brooks Raley, Jeff Brigham, and Omar Narvaez, while re-signing Nimmo and Edwin Diaz.
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