The San Diego Padres "could be moving closer" to a one-year agreement with free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Nightengale reports that the deal would pay Pham between $3 to $4 million.
Pham, 36, spent the 2020-21 seasons with the Padres. He hit .226/.335/.370 (97 OPS+) in 186 combined games. He's since produced a few better years, including last season, when he posted a 111 OPS+ while splitting the campaign between the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. Pham was ranked by CBS Sports as the 34th best free agent available this winter. Here's what we wrote at the time of that ranking:
Two things are certain about Pham, even as he nears his 36th birthday. He's going to hit the ball hard, and he's going to wear out the middle of the field. Nearly half his batted balls last season clocked in at 95 mph or faster, and more than 40% of them were aimed straight ahead. That combination resulted in Pham's best OPS+ since 2019, when he was a member of the Rays. He's played for five teams during the interim years, suggesting that if there's a third thing for sure about him it's that he's going to continue changing clubhouses.
The Padres' current outfield depth chart is expected to include Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field and rookie and converted infielder Jackson Merrill in center field. If Pham does sign, he would likely take over left-field duties from fellow veteran Jurickson Profar. The Padres had previously been linked to Michael A. Taylor and Adam Duvall. Both Taylor and Duvall have signed with other teams in the past week: Taylor joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Duvall rejoined the Atlanta Braves.
The Padres will begin Major League Baseball's regular season on Wednesday, March 20 with a two-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea.
