Cardinals executive keeps bringing Tommy Pham back

Newly acquired St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham has been well-traveled over his major league career.

He began his career with the Cardinals before being sent to Tampa Bay at the 2018 trade deadline. The Rays traded Pham as part of a five-player deal with the Padres during the 2019-20 offseason, leading to an infamous reaction from pitcher Blake Snell. A free agent after the 2021 season, Pham has bounced from the Reds, Red Sox, Mets, Diamondbacks and White Sox over the past two-and-a-half years, being moved at the trade deadline in 2022 and 2023. Now, after seven stops along the way, Pham is back home in St. Louis.

There is one common thread to several of these moves. Chaim Bloom, advisor to the president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, was a part of three of those trades, including his recent trade to St. Louis. Bloom was the senior vice president of baseball operations in Tampa Bay when the Rays acquired Pham in 2018. Bloom later moved to the Red Sox as their chief baseball officer, a position he held when Boston acquired Pham in 2022. 

Pham has been a solid player during his time in the majors. He has posted a .259/.349/.431 batting line in his 4,198 career plate appearances, hitting 135 homers and 177 doubles while stealing 125 bases. That solid production has continued this year as Pham has a .266/.330/.380 batting line in 297 plate appearances, hitting five homers and 14 doubles while stealing six bases.

Capable of playing left, right and center, he adds more playoff experience to the Cardinals' roster. Pham was part of playoff teams in 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2023, reaching the World Series with the Diamondbacks last year. That experience, coupled with his solid performance, should help as the Cardinals fight for a playoff spot.