On the brink of the season opener, the Mets bolstered their outfield depth with an interesting addition from their past.
The Mets and Tommy Pham are in agreement on a minor league deal, a source confirmed Thursday, just a few hours before first pitch of Mets-Pirates Opening Day at Citi Field.
Pham was a rare bright spot in an otherwise dreary 2023 season in Queens — he posted an .820 OPS in 79 games before he was part of the deadline sell-off, the Mets shipping him to Arizona — and he has bounced around the league since.
Now 38, Pham’s free agency nearly dragged into the regular season after a merely OK 2025 (.700 OPS in 120 games) with the Pirates.
The Mets’ major league outfield consists of Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge, with Tyrone Taylor a reserve and Jared Young a lefty bat capable of playing a corner. Mike Tauchman might have cracked the roster before he required knee surgery toward the end of camp.
Pham, a righty with a strong history of hitting lefties, theoretically could hit his way into a major league job, particularly if the lefty-hitting Benge struggles (or solely struggles against southpaws).