Potential Phillies Free Agent Revealed Why He Signed with Different Team

A potential Philadelphia Phillies free agent revealed why he signed with a different team.

Apr 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox left fielder Tommy Pham (28) singles / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

It's clear that the Philadelphia Phillies need to upgrade the outfield, something the front office will be challenged with prior to the deadline. They had an opportunity to land a free agent, but after ending up with a different team, that challenge still presents itself.

Despite the lack of production from Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos for much of the early part of the season, the Phillies are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are tied for the most wins in baseball.

Coming into the season, the expectation was for Philadelphia to have a chance to win the National League East. The division was essentially over in 2023 due to the injuries they dealt with, but this season has been a different story.

While playing well now, the Phillies front office will certainly be aggressive around the deadline. Even in past years when they were battling for a Wild Card spot, Dave Dombrowski did whatever was needed to make this team better.

From the sound of things, Dombrowski was already looking to improve the outfield with a recently signed free agent.

Tommy Pham was asked why he signed with the Chicago White Sox. The reporter asked if it was due to playing every game instead of a couple of times a week with Philadelphia.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Pham had the following to say.

“Just came down to one,’’ he told reporters. “The economics."

His response indicates that he was interested in the the highest offer.

Pham, 36 years old, has been a steady professional throughout his career. He debuted in the 2014 season and has slashed .259/.351/.435 in 3,397 career at-bats.

Castellanos finally hit his first home run of the season over the weekend but is slashing just .179/.250/.226. Rojas has swung the bat better recently. However, his .250/.305/.316 slash line leaves much to be desired.

Now signed with the White Sox, Dombrowski will have to make a trade for him if the interest is still there.