The St. Louis Cardinals have made the decision to place veteran hitter Tommy Pham on waivers before the Sept. 1 deadline for postseason eligibility. This move comes after acquiring Pham and pitcher Erick Fedde at the MLB trade deadline.
Reports from The Athletic’s Katie Woo indicate that Pham can play with St. Louis until another team claims him. If he goes unclaimed, he could potentially finish the season with the Cardinals.
Pham was brought in as a right-handed platoon bat to face left-handed pitching, a move that was rated as one of the most impactful deals made at the trade deadline by Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman. St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak was insistent on including Pham in the Fedde trade with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite his experience and success against left-handers in his career, Pham has struggled at the plate since returning to the Cardinals, batting only .206 with a .653 OPS in 77 plate appearances. With St. Louis on the fringes of the National League postseason race, the team may opt to give more playing time to younger prospects if their playoff hopes diminish.
If another playoff contender is interested in adding Pham to their roster, they must do so before Sept. 1 for him to be eligible for the postseason. Pham has shown his value in past playoff appearances, boasting a .313 batting average and an .846 OPS.
The Cardinals would be responsible for the remaining $850,000 on Pham’s one-year contract, while any team that claims him would need to pay a prorated veteran’s minimum. Pham has expressed his intention to continue playing in 2025 and remains hopeful that MLB teams will recognize his readiness to compete.