The Kansas City Royals are in deep need of a boost. Matt Quatraro’s squad had lost seven out of their last 10 games, albeit the Royals did face the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cleveland Guardians usurped them for the top spot in the AL Central due to this. Clearly, they need help at all levels of the field to get back up into contention. So, it looks like someone in the Pedro Grifol-led Chicago White Sox team could be joining them soon. He goes by the name of Tommy Pham.
Benefitting from a White Sox fire sale
Matt Quatraro and the Royals front office are reportedly interested in acquiring Tommy Pham, per John Heyman of the New York Post. He could surely aid the squad in getting back into the groove such that they retake the AL Central lead from the Guardians. After all, the Royals are just six games back of their division rivals. Someone to help them bat and ravage the outfield might be a big help for the squad.
Pham has shown a great deal of versatility within the White Sox system. Pedro Grifol made him play both center field and left field throughout his time there. Now, a fire sale is looming for the White Sox. Pham could be one of the players they let go of to notch some capital down the line.
Reportedly, an executive from the White Sox’s rival squad has claimed that Pham ‘can hit’. If Grifol and the rest of the front office do decide to let him go, the Royals are expected to be one of the first teams to make an offer. Other guys who might be included in this firesale are Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Paul DeJong, Michael Kopech, and Luis Robert.
Any squad that comes around to acquire these key pieces of Pedro Grifol’s squad would be very lucky, including Quatraro’s Royals.
A glaring problem if the Royals acquire Tommy Pham
The numbers are not something the Royals need to be concerned with. Pham was at-bat 149 times for the White Sox this season. This led him to produce a .282 AVG and .744 OPS. To top it all off, he also sent three home runs flying around throughout the season. Matt Quatraro’s Royals would be happy to have that on their struggling squad. However, he did just get into an altercation when the White Sox lost to the Milwaukee Brewers with a 6-3 scoreline.
William Contreras and Pham exchanged words after the catcher blocked him from notching a base. He went after the Brewers player. Pham did not stop until the umpire forced him to let go of the situation. Understandably, he was still mad after the game and cussed Contreras out when asked about the situation, via Ian Casselberry of Yahoo Sports.
“I’m nailed out at home by a mile, I’m going to the dugout and I hear the tough guy with all the ‘hoo-rah’ s***. I’m never starting anything, but I’ll be prepared to finish it. There’s a reason I do all kinds of fighting in the offseason. Because I’m prepared to f*** somebody up,” he proclaimed.
Clearly, he is an enforcer for a squad. Whether the Royals need one as they try to clinch the AL Central title is up for debate.
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