Cincinnati Reds trade Tommy Pham to Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later

MIAMI – About 24 hours before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, the Cincinnati Reds were finalizing a trade to send left fielder Tommy Pham to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later, sources confirmed to The Enquirer.

Pham was scratched from the Reds’ lineup minutes before the first pitch Monday in Miami, and he was informed he was traded.

He’s eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season after he signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract with the Reds during spring training, which includes a $6 million mutual option for the 2023 season and a $1 million buyout. He’s received an additional $200,000 through incentives and can earn an additional $800,000 if he surpasses 600 plate appearances.

Cincinnati Reds left fielder Tommy Pham (28) was traded to the Boston Red Sox Aug. 1, 2022.

It’s the third trade for the rebuilding Reds since Thursday, sending outfielder Tyler Naquin to the New York Mets and Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners for young prospects.

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After trading Naquin and Pham, the Reds’ outfield consists of Nick Senzel, Jake Fraley and Albert Almora. Aristides Aquino remains on a rehab assignment and Stuart Fairchild is on the taxi squad.

Pham hit .238 with 11 doubles, 11 homers, 39 RBI and 57 runs in 91 games this season. He slumped throughout July, which he called the worst month of his career, with a .204 batting average and .255 on-base percentage.

He had one of baseball’s most memorable moments in the season after he slapped San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson before a game in May and was suspended for three games.

In the clubhouse, Pham was a well-respected veteran known for his consistent approach and his relentlessness on the bases. He stole seven bases in nine attempts.

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It was the third time the 34-year-old Pham was traded in his nine-year career. The Reds signed him as a free agent after they traded Jesse Winker, along with Eugenio Suárez, to the Mariners in March.

By rule, the player to be named later cannot be someone who is on a club’s 40-man roster.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds trade Tommy Pham to Boston Red Sox