The Mets plan to pick up the veteran pitcher’s contract Tommy Phamaccording to Will Samson of The Athletic. The veteran is on a minor league contract with the team, so he will need to be placed on the 40-man roster before he can officially join the club. That shouldn’t be much of a hurdle, as the Mets’ 40-man roster currently stands at 37 players and will increase to 38 once Pham is added. That means the only move will be needed to get Pham on the roster, which could happen tomorrow as Sammon writes that Pham is expected to meet with the team in LA for their series against the Dodgers.
The 38-year-old veteran signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Mets on Opening Day. He has pitched in just four games at the Single-A level since then, but the combination of demand at the big league level and Pham’s status as a veteran hitter seems to have combined to give the Mets confidence in bringing him to the majors with only a short amount of time to be ready for the game. He will join the recently defeated foreign team Juan Soto on the injured list due to a calf strain that could keep him out for at least a week or two. With Soto out of action, the Mets were relying on the rookie Carson Bengea football player Brett Batyand bench bats alike Tyrone Taylor again Jared Young in the outer corners.
A team that has not inspired confidence so far. Young has hit well so far in a sample of 23 plate appearances, but he only has 56 MLB games under his belt since his debut with the Cubs in 2022. Taylor’s .211/.250/.421 line (91 wRC+) isn’t exactly encouraging, and he ended up being the MLB+ top w20 member of the Brewers. Benge has been heralded as the future of the franchise in the outfield and is a consensus top 20 hitter in the sport, but is hitting a slow .130/.231/.196 (33 wRC+) in 14 games to start his MLB career. Baty showed signs of life last year after struggling to hit in the majors the first few years of his career but is currently sporting a wRC+ of 60 and a 29.4% strikeout rate while playing a very rare position.
All in all, that’s an outfield mix that could clearly use some veteran stability. That’s no small part of why the Mets were generally expected to carry a veteran outfielder. Mike Tauchman on their Opening Day lineup following several successful years in Chicago and a hot Spring Training, but Tauchman unfortunately had meniscus surgery just before Opening Day that will keep him out for May. With Tauchman unable to play, the Mets will turn to a player who lacks his recent success but has made up for it with an impressive resume. Pham is now heading into his 13th MLB campaign and has appeared in at least 116 games in each of the past eight 162-game league seasons. During that time, he suited up for ten different clubs and sports a career 111 wRC+ in over 1200 MLB games.
Despite that history, Pham has been an above-average MLB player for some time now. Since the start of the 2020 season, Pham has slashed .241/.323/384 with a wRC+ of just 96, which is 4% worse than the MLB batting average during that time. With that said, he’s only a few years removed from a successful season with the Mets. After signing with the team through the 2023 season, Pham slashed .268/.348/.472 (124 wRC+) in 79 games for the Mets before being dealt to the NL champion Diamondbacks at that year’s trade deadline. If Pham can recapture any magic from his last prep in Queens, that would be a huge win for the Mets. Even the league-average consistency Pham has been known for in recent years could be a boost for the club, but he should get plenty of opportunities now that he’s been pushed back into the ranks.
