Padres Considering Reunion With Free Agent Outfielder: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Apr 6, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres are reportedly still interested in a reunion with free agent outfielder Tommy Pham.

A report published in the New York Post said the Padres have been considering Pham but want to stay under the $237 million first-tied luxury-tax threshold. That would leave them just $2 to $3 million. They’d also prefer to have money for the trade deadline.

The Chicago White Sox have also been tied to Pham, who had as many as eight teams interested in him earlier this spring.

The 36-year-old Pham previously played for San Diego from 2020-21 but has been quite the journeyman over the past two years, playing for four teams: the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Mets, and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Pham is staying busy despite his unemployment. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) on March 30 with an observation and personal experience of going from spring training to the regular season.

"From watching these games with this free time, one huge observation and speaking from experience, spring training stats do not matter," Pham wrote. "From experience and observations, most guys are trying things out and if it doesn’t work by a certain time we just revert back to old ways."

San Diego would benefit having a veteran outfielder in the clubhouse. While rookie Jackson Merrill won the starting center field job, he has not experienced the grind of a 162-game season.

Pham hit .256 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs last season and is a career .259 hitter with 130 home runs and 431 RBIs.