Cardinals Officially Part Ways With Veteran Slugger After Short Reunion Stint

The former St. Louis outfielder is moving on

Aug 2, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Tommy Pham (26) breaks his bat against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals arguably had the most successful trade deadline this summer out of any team in the league but sadly, the newest additions to the roster haven't been enough.

The Cardinals are 10 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central and 6 1/2 out of an NL Wild Card spot.

At this point in the season, the odds of St. Louis qualifying for the playoffs are slim to none and because of that, a veteran outfielder is moving on to find a genuine playoff contender who'll value him more than the Cardinals can.

"The Cardinals are placing Tommy Pham on waivers," according to The Athletic's Katie Woo, who first reported the breaking news Thursday afternoon.

Pham hasn't performed as well as Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak had hoped he would when he pushed to have the 36-year-old included in a three-way deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline.

"The decision to place Pham on waivers is arguably also the best decision for his sake. Pham, who wants to play in 2025, will have an opportunity to land with a contending team and/or a team that will play him every day. He wasn't going to be used as a full-time starter in STL." Woo continued.

Although it's upsetting to see Pham go after such a short reunion stint, it was the right move. It'll be interesting to see who he lands with before Sunday's postseason eligibility deadline.

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