Mariners Trade Proposal: How about a low-cost add in Tommy Pham

As we progress throughout July, plenty of Mariners fans all over are hoping to see the team add a big name to their lineup. Whether it's someone like Vladimir Guerrero, Pete Alonso, or Luis Robert. Then there are some of the lesser knowns, like Ian Happ or Brent Rooker. The hope is they get a couple, the realistic hope that they just get one. We have to prepare for some under the rader guys to potentially be acquired, which is where Tommy Pham comes in.

Now, Tommy Pham is definitely not a household name at all. He just keeps hitting though, and is doing his thing out in Chicago, actually hitting his career average so far in 2024 (.259), with an OPS+ just under 100. I understand that isn't a good mark, but it's still about 15 percent better than Mitch Haniger.

Tommy Pham could be a low-cost addition to this lineup

Is that a trade off that the team would be willing to make? Especially if it was one that saw the Mariners need to trade away Haniger, even to the White Sox, in order to get him?

Remember, if the Mariners get a new outfielder, they are likely going to either need to trade away Haniger or release him. He has 1.5 years left on his deal, so it's not going to be easy to get a team to take him. In fact, if the Mariners were to send him to the White Sox, they would need to up their package as opposed to just releasing him and trading other pieces for Pham.

For the purposes of this, let's just look at what it would take to get Pham. We will think about what a deal that moves Haniger could be later when it could net the Mariners something more impressive.

Morales is just outside the top 10 for the Mariners, and just got called up to AA. He was dominant in A ball this season in Everett, with a 2.36 through 84 innings, albeit with a 1.226 WHIP. He turns 22 soon, but could be a nice asset for a White Sox team that might see their top two pitchers traded away, meaning they could soon need someone in the starting rotation. A 2026 callup for Morales might be early, but doesn't seem farfetched in their system.

Tommy Pham is on a 1YR/$2.52M deal, meaning that acquiring him would cost only about $1M for the remainder of the season. As you all know, the cheaper the better when it comes to the thoughts that John Stanton has about running a baseball team. It's been a tale of two seasons for Pham, who was hitting .280/.331/.402 through June 2nd. He would miss about 10 days, and has only been hitting .227/.333/.284 since coming back.

Now, is that from being on the White Sox? Possibly. Another factor to bring into play is his strikeout rate, which is only 20.9% this season. That's below league average, and something that the Mariners desperately need. If Pham ends up being the Mariners' third-biggest move at the deadline, I think that we should all be incredibly happy.