Royals 2024 Playoff Starter Reportedly Heading To Pirates On One-Year Contract
In this story:
The life of a veteran journeyman in Major League Baseball can become a blur, as one short-term member of the Kansas City Royals is well aware by now.
In 2024, the Royals attempted to retool their lineup on the fly at the waiver wire deadline, just before the final month of the regular season. They brought in three veterans to join the lineup just as star first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino hit the injured list with a broken thumb.
Those three veterans were outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, and infielder Yuli Gurriel. None of the three panned out particularly well, but the expectations were highest for Pham, who wound up batting leadoff for the Royals in the 2024 postseason.
Pham, who turns 37 next month, played for three teams last season, bringing his career total to nine. He'll now make it an even 10 with the news of his signing on Thursday.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Pham reportedly agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract for the 2025 season, per Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Last season, Pham put up a .674 OPS in 116 games, accruing -0.2 bWAR. With Kansas City, he slashed .228/.250/.337 in the regular season, then went 5-for-15 in the playoffs with no walks and no extra-base hits.
The Pirates are no strangers to signing erstwhile members of the 2024 Royals. They brought back Adam Frazier, who was an All-Star in Pittsburgh in 2021, on a one-year contract in late January.
Kansas City still projects to need more corner outfielders to thrive in the 2025 campaign, but it never looked like Pham would be part of that mix. Thursday solidified that fact, but there's still work for the Royals to do elsewhere if they truly want to become World Series contenders.
More MLB: Surprising Royals Free Agency Prediction Lands Starter With 4.98 ERA In 2024
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
Follow jrobertsbsbl