The Cardinals trade outfielder Tommy Pham to the Rays

The trade deadline frenzy has officially begun. According to Yahoo Sports’ own Jeff Passan, the St. Louis Cardinals have traded outfielder Tommy Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays.

If you’re wondering whether Chris Archer, the Rays’ biggest trade chip, is included in this deal, wonder no more: he’s not. Instead, the Cardinals are getting three minor leaguers from the Rays.

Genesis Cabrera and Roel Ramirez are both starting pitchers in the low minors. Justin Williams, a 23-year-old right fielder, is the only one of the three who has sniffed the majors. Williams spent one game with the big league club on July 21, going hitless in the one at-bat of his major league debut. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Cardinals are also getting international slot money in the deal.

Pham is an outfielder, but he’s played center field almost exclusively in 2018. He’s hit .248/.341/.399 for the Cardinals this season, with 11 doubles and 14 home runs in 396 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from his breakout 2017 campaign, which saw him hit .306/.411/.520.

The last few months haven’t been kind to Pham. He’s hit just .227 since June, with an on-base percentage under .300. He definitely has the capability to turn back into the 2017 version of Tommy Pham, and so maybe a scenery change will help him find his stroke again.

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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.

Tuesday, July 31
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