The Padres Should Not Re-sign Tommy Pham

As a fan who firmly believes in giving player a two-year window to produce on a new team, I think I can confidently say it is time for the San Diego Padres to move on from outfielder Tommy Pham and new to look for a new replacement.

The Padres traded away an outfielder with tremendous power and defense in Hunter Renfroe for a hidden gem in Jake Cronenworth and the on-base machine of Tommy Pham. You also cannot forget that 2B/SS prospect Xavier Edwards went to the Rays in that deal as well.

Renfroe was my favorite player on the team before Tatis Jr and Machado made an impact once hitting the field. Why was he on top of my list? Simple. Renfroe was that kind of player who has never been afraid to get dirty to make big plays and win baseball games. With natural power that was clear as day and an outfielder who got better defensively in the Majors, Renfroe is a player this team should have kept looking at the trade now. Look, Cronenworth solved our issue at second base and potentially first depending on the status of Hosmer, but could San Diego have traded for Cronenworth in some other way? I understand he might have been a fill-in piece to compliment Edwards in the deal, but trading away a power hitter with defensive skill in Renfroe hurts. Imagine if he was on this current roster. I would not want to imagine that as the opponent, that's for sure. Instead, the Padres got stuck with Tommy Pham, who produced low numbers and was not the same impact when stepping on the field.

Tommy Pham came to the Padres being known as a well balanced player. Good average, great on-base, decent slugging numbers. But for the two years he has been with the team, it has not worked out and with his poor performance at the plate, where do you slot him in the lineup becomes a question too. Overall I believe that Pham does not belong on a Padres team with his different kind of play style. There is nothing wrong with hitting for a nice average and getting on-base at all, but Pham has not hit the ball well the past two seasons and he has become more of a pull hitter with some hits going to center.

In 186 games with the Padres, Pham has posted a .226/.335/.370 with the lowest OPS of his career at .705. This season especially was a downfall for Pham. Throughout the months, Pham could not find the holes in the field and just struggled to make good contact with the baseball. Pham could not hit with an average above .200 in three months and honestly had a hot bat in June. Pham also only produced a 1.4 WAR this season.

Those numbers do not qualify as an everyday Major League outfielder in my opinion. Instead, Preller should go out and do what he has done best over the past few seasons: Make a major move. Nicholas Castellanos just became a free agent. Now who knows how much money he will want for having a very successful year, but the Padres should look at other options available. Other cheaper names that could be an option in left include Mark Canha, Kyle Schwarber, Eddie Rosario and Joc Pederson.

I respect that Tommy Pham got to play in a Padres uniform and that he played his heart out every game, but the numbers he put up just is not valuable enough for an extension or long-term plan. A.J. Preller should already be looking at free agents in this time period to see who would fit the best in the Padres uniform with new manager Bob Melvin.