Tommy Pham:The Much Reasons Why I Came Back That People Don’t Know.
The St. Louis Cardinals had a fantastic trade deadline and now seem to be in a good spot as the playoff race is about to heat up.
St. Louis currently is two games out of a National League Wild Card spot but just addressed its biggest holes ahead of the deadline without breaking the bank. The Cardinals made a great move by bringing in Erick Fedde to help stabilize the starting rotation and he’s under contract for next season as well.
The Cardinals also added an offensive boost to the outfield by reuniting with outfielder Tommy Pham. The veteran was selected by the Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and made his big league debut in 2014.
Pham spent the first four-plus seasons of his career in St. Louis and already is making a great impact in his return after crushing a grand slam in his first at-bat back.
Pham is a great fit back in St. Louis and it sounds like a Cardinals superstar pushed for the move to happen sooner. Third baseman Nolan Arenado reportedly wanted the club to pursue Pham back in the spring, according to Belleville News-Democrat’s Jeff Jones.
“My first thought was, man, I gotta get my number from Nolan,” Tommy Pham said with a wide grin,” Jones transcribed. “He knows Arenado and (Paul Goldschmidt) from offseason workouts and said Arenado was among those pushing in spring for the Cardinals to bring him in.”
Pham signed later than expected after a solid 2023 season and eventually landed with the Chicago White Sox. Now, he has the opportunity to help take the Cardinals to another level and make a run at a playoff spot.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been involved in trade rumors for the past few days but it looks like a significant deal is finally in the works.
The Cardinals were recently probed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees for utility man Tommy Edman but no offers were reported.
Waiting for St. Louis to make a move appears to be over, as the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox have reportedly agreed to a three-way deal.
“A three-team trade in which the Cardinals would acquire Erick Fedde, the Dodgers would acquire Tommy Edman and the White Sox would acquire prospects is close, sources tell me and Katie Woo,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Monday.
It was recently reported that the White Sox had offered Fedde in exchange for Cardinals rising star Jordan Walker but it seems that St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak had other plans in mind.
Fedde has posted a 7-4 record with a 3.11 ERA, 108-to-34 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .227 batting average against and a 1.14 WHIP in 121 2/3 innings pitched for Chicago in 2024.
The 31-year-old is a perfect fit for the Cardinals’ veteran-laden rotation where he will serve as either the No. 1 or No. 2 starter next to ace Sonny Gray, who’s struggled lately.
It’s sad to see Edman — a homegrown talent — go to a new team but given all the recent trade rumors he was involved in the past couple of days, it’s not so shocking to see him dealt.
It’s a bittersweet beginning to the Cardinals’ 2024 trade deadline but hopefully, there will be more game-changing trades to come!