The New York Mets have managed to stay busy this off-season with their signing of Tommy Pham. It’s a one-year, $6 million agreement, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Also, USA Today’s Bob Nightingale tweets that the contract contains $2 million in available incentives.
Incentives
Pham has passed his physical, and incentives have been included in the deal. The outfielder, who turns 35 in March, will earn a $200K bonus if he gets 225 plate appearances. He also gets an additional $200K bonus for every 25 plate appearances thereafter, all the way up through 450 plate appearances. Thus, he has the potential to earn another 1.8 million in bonus monies.
Last Season
The New York Mets continued their busy off-season by signing Pham, who split the 2022 season between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. Between the two teams, he had a combined .236 batting average with 17 home runs, and 63 RBI in 622 plate appearances. On a positive note, he hit .273 against left-handed pitching.
Outfield Insurance
Pham has played mostly left field, but will give the Mets some outfield insurance. Pham will see time as the Mets’ designated hitter. He will act as a right-handed counterpart to the left-handed hitting of Daniel Vogelbach. Pham could also be used as a pinch hitter, and even pinch runner since he still has some speed on the basepaths. He has played 209 games in center field, and could start on a day that Brandon Nimmo needs rest. However, he most likely will be in left field as a platoon.
Valuable Asset
He may not be that exciting to most Mets fans after the whole Carlos Correra snafu. The team reportedly made offers to Adam Duvall and Andrew McCutchen before agreeing with Pham. Pham offers is leadership. And playing in New York, he’ll be able to handle the media, and the fans.
Mets Need Him
The busy Mets need Tommy Pham. This team has more to prove. After winning 101 games in 2022, they lost the NL Wild Card Series to the San Diego Padres due to lack of timely hitting, and overall leadership. Pham is someone who can help their lineup, and provide playoff experience.
He has a .375 career playoff batting average, with three home runs and 19 hits in 54 at-bats. The Mets are expected to contend for the World Series. If Pham works out as a platoon player, and has good numbers, he will be part of an exciting 2023 team.
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