Rays acquire outfielder Pham from Cardinals
The Tampa Bay Rays’ first deal of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline day was a bit of a surprise.
The Rays acquired the powerhitting outfielder they were seeking when they acquired Tommy Pham from the St. Louis Cardinals, but they didn’t have to give up right-hander Chris Archer or one any other veterans.
Instead, St. Louis gets three minor-leaguers: outfielder Justin Williams, left-hander Genesis Cabrera and right-hander Roel Ramirez.
Pham, 30, hit .306 with 23 homers, 73 RBIs, 25 steals and a . 931 OPS last year for the Cardinals and finished 11th in the National League MVP voting. This year, he’s hitting .248 with 14 homers, 41 RBIs, 10 steals and a .730 OPS. The Rays also get some international signing money, reportedly US$500,000.
Though Pham has played parts of five seasons in the majors, he will be arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and is under team control through the 2021 season.
A 16th-round pick in ’06, Pham spent parts of nine seasons in the minors before getting to the big leagues in September ’14. In 362 big-league games, Pham has hit .271 with 51 homers, 149 RBIs and an .828 OPS.
Pham turned down a two-year deal from the Cardinals this spring and had his contract renewed, telling St. Louis media, “If you look at what I did last year, I didn’t think there was a great amount of appreciation. So I took the renewal.”
Williams, 22, made a one-day cameo with the Rays earlier this month.
He’s has had an up-and-down season at Triple-A, his first, hitting .258 with eight homers, 46 RBIs and a .689 OPS.
Cabrera, 21, may be the top piece for the Cardinals based on his electric fastball, which had him ranked the No. 14 prospect in the Rays system by Baseball America going into this season.