Breaking: Tommy Pham Placed On Waivers (& Team Rumored To Be Claiming Him)

Tommy Pham has spent one month back with his original team, the St. Louis Cardinals, but his time there appears to be up, as the Cards have placed him on outright waivers.

WAIVERS: #Cardinals have placed OF Tommy Pham on outright waivers.
— MLB Transaction Tracker (@MLBMovesTracker) August 29, 2024

If no team puts in a claim, he is able to stay with St. Louis. But to be eligible for a playoff roster, he has to be with a new team by Sunday. September 1st is the cutoff for postseason eligibility. Any acquiring team would have to pick up the remaining $850,000 of his one-year, $3 million contract.

The Cards traded for Pham from the Chicago White Sox at last month's trade deadline, but his impact has been disappointing, as he's hit just .206 with the team in which he broke out as a major leaguer 10 years ago. He has two home runs and a .653 OPS in 23 games with St. Louis this time around.

The Cardinals are starting to realize that their chances at making the playoffs are slipping away, as they sit 7.0 games back of a Wild Card spot, with several other teams to leapfrog as well.

According to baseball insider Robert Murray, the San Deigo Padres have been waiting for this eventuality, and are likely to pounce on Pham, which would bring him back for his second stint with the team. He hit 15 HR with a 103 OPS+ with them in 2021.

"If he goes to San Diego, it would be a stroke of genius by (Padres GM) AJ Preller," said Murray. "They have a great relationship, and it would be a no-brainer move. This would fit perfectly with them, give them outfield depth, and I think it would be a home run for them."