New York Mets Rumors: Tommy Pham Linked to AL East Contender

Will the New York Mets be sellers at the trade deadline? At 43-50, and 18 games out of first, 8.5 out of a Wild Card, it seems highly likely. One prime trade piece is veteran outfielder Tommy Pham. 

And one contender that’s on the hunt for another solid right-handed bat down the stretch is the Toronto Blue Jays. According to Jays Insider Ben Nicholson-Smith, Pham is definitely a name to keep an eye on for Toronto.

Currently hitting .271 with an .823 OPS, nine home runs, 10 stolen bases and an OPS+ of 128, he is a guy who, when locked in, can get very hot. He has a .354 career on-base percentage. 

“That's who you want, to me," said Nicholson-Smith on Sportsnet The Fan 590 on Monday morning. "I wouldn’t be surprised if Pham went out in September and hit 10 home runs... That would be a name that I would look to."

Pham, 35, has hit .308 in his past 15 games for the Mets with an .890 OPS. 

Currently, the only right-handed bats off the bench for the Jays on any given night are one of their catchers, Alejandro Kirk—in a season-long funk—or Danny Jansen, or the light-hitting Santiago Espinal (OPS+ of 74). It’s clearly an area of need. 

As for the Mets, they can get an asset in return for their $6M offseason signing. 

The Jays, however, have also been linked to a much bigger (and older) right-handed bat on the free agent market.

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