{"id":1749,"date":"2023-01-21T19:24:23","date_gmt":"2023-01-22T03:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=1749"},"modified":"2023-02-10T17:16:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T17:16:40","slug":"new-york-mets-busy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2023\/01\/21\/new-york-mets-busy\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Mets Stay Busy by Signing Tommy Pham"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Mets<\/a> have managed to stay busy this off-season with their signing of Tommy Pham<\/a>. It\u2019s a one-year, $6 million agreement, according to Jon Heyman<\/a> of the New York Post. Also, USA Today\u2019s Bob Nightingale tweets<\/a> that the contract contains $2 million in available incentives.<\/p>\n

Incentives\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Last Season<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The New York Mets continued their busy off-season by signing Pham, who split the 2022 season between the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> and the Boston Red Sox<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

Outfield Insurance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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<\/a>. 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<\/a> needs rest. However, he most likely will be in left field as a platoon.<\/p>\n

Valuable Asset<\/strong><\/h2>\n

He may not be that exciting to most Mets fans after the whole Carlos Correra<\/a> snafu. The team reportedly made offers to Adam Duvall<\/a> and Andrew McCutchen<\/a> before agreeing with Pham. Pham offers is leadership. And playing in New York, he\u2019ll be able to handle the media, and the fans.<\/p>\n

Mets Need Him<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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<\/a> due to lack of timely hitting, and overall leadership. Pham is someone who can help their lineup, and provide playoff experience.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>