The leadup to Tommy Pham‘s trade from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 was ugly. A few days into their reunion, the two sides appear ready to bury past differences and have a better relationship this time around. Pham was acquired Tuesday from the Chicago White Sox in a deal that also brought in Eric Fedde and sent former Gold Glove Award winner Tommy Edman to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cardinals And New Addition Hope For Better Relationship This Time Around
“This is a guy that is going to get after it and he’s going to push other people around him to get after it as well. He loves to win, and he brings a skillset that we need,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said after Tuesday’s trade deadline had passed.
GRAND SLAM TOMMY PHAM!!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/iyfEJbjeRp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 31, 2024
Marmol was not Pham’s manager in 2018; that was Make Matheny, who was released mid-season. However, John Mozeliak, the Cardinals President, was still at the organization’s helm when the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a deal going into the season and when the team traded him to the Rays. Mozeliak had nothing but nice things to say about Pham this week after the Trade Deadline.
“He’s going to give Ollie a lot more flexibility,” Mozeliak told Bally Sports Midwest after the trade. “We’ve really struggled against LHP all year, and not that he’s going to be the single solution, we need other guys to step up. He’s certainly going to give us better chances.”
Storybook Return
Tommy Pham’s first at-bat back with the Cardinals came as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s win against the Texas Rangers. It was a left-handed pitcher, and the Cardinals had not hit an extra-base hit with a pinch hitter all season. Pham hit a grand slam.
“Definitely my best moment here,” Pham said about the moment after the game. “One of the top moments of my career.”
Pham’s energy seemed to have an immediate impact on the team. After the game, his teammates sang his praises to reporters.
“Confidence is contagious. I think that’s why what he brings is contagious,” said Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar after Pham’s first game. “I just think the confidence and everything he brings to the game is pretty cool. It kind of just oozes out of him and you can really feel that. I’m excited to learn from a guy like that. It’s another veteran you can bring in that’s a real pro and so I’m excited.”
Lance Lynn started the game, which ended in an 8-1 Cardinals route over the Rangers. He and Pham came up in the Cardinals organization together. Like Pham, Lynn has returned to the team this year after journeying around to several MLB teams in the last several years. He was happy to see Pham’s moment in the return.
“When things like that happen it’s just awesome, there really is no other way to say it,” Lynn said. “We’ve known each other since 20, 21 years old, so to both of us still be playing, to be back here where we started our career and have success and do all of that, hopefully we can keep things rolling.”
Filling A Need For The Cardinals
Pham immediately signaled he could fill the largest hole on the Cardinals’ offense all season. The team has lacked depth on the bench. They are dead last in the League in pinch-hitter batting average at .119. Until Pham’s grand slam, they had not had an extra-base hit from their bench.
“It was exciting,” Mozeliak told Bally Sports Midwest. “You think about all the games we’ve played this year and how many are one run games, and just to have a little bit of space created on that one swing. It just felt good. It was neat for him too I would imagine too. The reception he got, the standing ovation.”
The Cardinals have also struggled against left-handed pitching. They are fifth worst in MLB with batting average against lefties at .230. They’ve hit a ninth worst 26 home runs against lefties. Pham is batting .293 against lefties and .275 overall. He’s hit three home runs against lefties and six overall.
“He’ll start against lefties, but there’s some right on rights we’ll fire him in for. He’s a good hitter, and he brings a lot of energy and competitiveness to what he does. So, he’s not just going to come off the bench against lefties,” Marmol said.
Infectious Energy
Pham is fresh off of a World Series appearance with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had 17 hits and three home runs in the Diamondbacks postseason run last season which ultimately ended in a loss to the Texas Rangers. His teammates emphasized his winning attitude as a trait they were excited to have.
“He brings a sense of urgency and everybody knows what Tommy is about,” Lynn said. “Tommy is about winning and doing whatever you can to win. That’s what you need on your team.”
That reputation has excited the younger plays on the team as well who haven’t shared a locker room with him before.
“I just know we’re getting a baller and a professional and a guy that wants to win and he can come up big in those situations right there,” Nootbaar said after Pham’s first game. “I’m sure over the next few days I’ll get to know him a little better, but I’m excited to have him.”
Pham made his MLB debut in 2014. In that time, he has played on eight different teams. Now he has changed teams a ninth time. He noted his trade signified an energy boost by itself.
“When your front office is acquiring talent at the deadline, it gives your team a jolt all the time,” Pham said after joining St. Louis. “When you start acquiring talent and you bring them in, it’s like alright, the front office has our back. So it kind of lights up the clubhouse.”
Past differences
If you ask the Cardinals organization, they always believed in Pham. If you ask Pham he will, and has, told you they didn’t. Pham didn’t crack a fulltime big-league roster until 2017, when he batted .302 with 22 home runs and 25 stolen bases.
He was 29 at that point and had spent several years in the Minor Leagues. In the offseason after his big 2017 campaign, he did an interview with Sports Illustrated where he aired his frustration over that.
“So I’m like, They’re getting the reports every day, they know I’m raking. What the f—? When are they gonna call me up?” Pham told Sports Illustrated. “And then we’re three weeks in. The guys are still struggling, Grichuk, Dex [Dexter Fowler], Piscotty. And I’m still balling! So finally I said, They’re not gonna f—–’ call me up, f— it, and I zoned out in Triple A.”
Pham was initially drafted in 2006 under Jeff Lunhow’s management. However, it was Mozeliak managing the team starting back in 2007. When the two sides negotiated going into 2018, Pham was arbitration eligible and wouldn’t be a free agent until after the 2021 season. Pham dedlined a two year offer from the Cardinals and settled for about the league minimum for the 2018 season.
“They said, ‘We believed you could do it all along.’ That’s the thing that’s so mind-boggling. I said, If that’s the f—–’ case, then why was I f—–’ demoted to Triple A?” Pham told Sports Illustrated at the time. “If that’s the case, why the f— was I batting in the eight hole this year, behind the guy who got f—–’ called up from high A? That s—, that’s that fake s—, man.”
When the Cardinals finally traded Pham during the 2018 season, Mozeliak stuck on script saying the team believed in Pham.
“He was in the organization for 12 years, injured a lot, a lot of ups and downs, but in the end we were the ones that believed in him,” Mozeliak said at the time. “Most people who have his track record don’t make it here.”
Six years and a grand slam first at-bat later, Mozeliak was singing Pham’s praises again.
“It was exciting,” Mozeliak said. “I just felt good. It was neat for him too I would imagine too. The reception he got, the standing ovation. It just shows you how our fans really appreciate great players.”
Pham has had nothing but good things to say about returning to the Cardinals as well. Smiling in the locker room in his first availability with reporters and joking about getting the number 28 from Nolan Arenado.
“A lot of familiarity here for me with the coaches, the training staff and some of my teammates,” Pham said. “Good to be back, just got to help the team win.”
The two sides hope to keep the good vibes going as the Cardinals are in a playoff race with a lot of season left in it.
Main Photo Credits: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
