The Boston Red Sox appeared to be on the verge of a fire sale when they dealt catcher Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Not so fast. In almost the same breath, Boston traded for Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham, as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal to acquire outfielder Tommy Pham from the Cincinnati Reds, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2022
The Reds' return in the Tommy Pham trade is not yet known at the time of publication. A free agent at the end of the season, Pham is due to be paid $7.5 million in the 2022 season.
He'll join a Red Sox outfield that includes Jarren Duran, Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley Jr. It's a group that was certainly in need of an upgrade, particularly on the offensive end, as none of the trio has been adept with the bat this season.
Pham's .694 OPS would represent the highest mark among Red Sox outfielders. With seven stolen bases, the former Cincinnati outfielder also brings some speed to the Boston outfield ahead of the August 2 MLB trade deadline.
Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom had pushed back on the notion that the Red Sox would be sellers at the deadline. Reports had also indicated that the club would do a bit of buying and selling.
As it turns out, the Red Sox' first two deals of the deadline, involving Christian Vazquez and Tommy Pham, were trades made as buyers and sellers.
Just 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot, Boston seems to think they aren't fully out of the race yet. But they're also keeping next season in mind too.
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