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From Mirror, wire reports
Free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham has agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, league sources said. The contract is a major-league deal, with an additional $250,000 in incentives.
Pham, who turns 37 in March, will bring veteran experience and depth to an outfield that currently projects to start Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds. He will likely serve as a platoon bat against left-handed pitchers.
Pittsburgh's interest in Pham dates back to last spring, though Pham did not sign with a team until after the regular season began, ultimately agreeing to a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox.
He hit .266/.330/.380 over 70 games before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the trade deadline, but the Cardinals placed Pham on waivers three weeks after trading for him when their playoff hopes faded in August.
Pham went on to play a key platoon role for the Kansas City Royals, who clinched a postseason berth for the first time in 10 years.
Overall last year, he hit .248 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 39 RBIs. He has a .258 average in 11 major league seasons with St. Louis (2014-18, '24), Tampa Bay (2018-19), San Diego (2020-21), Cincinnati (2022), Boston (2022), the New York Mets (2023), Arizona Diamondbacks (2023), the White Sox and Royals.
It's been a relatively quiet offseason for the Pirates, whose top free-agent signings besides Pham are McCutchen (one year, $5 million) and infielder Adam Frazier (one year, $1.525 million). Pittsburgh also traded for first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
The Pirates boast one of the more tantalizing starting pitching staffs in the National League, with Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes headlining a rotation that also includes Mitch Keller and Jared Jones.