The Mets fit in one more sale before Major League Baseball’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline on Tuesday as they sent Tommy Pham to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor-league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez.
The Mets managed to squeeze one more move of a busy trade-deadline season with 10 minutes to spare. Over the last five days, they’ve parted ways with reliever David Robertson, aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and veteran outfielder Mark Canha. All moves yielded prospects in return.
The writing was on the wall that Pham was on his way out when he exited the Mets’ clubhouse in his street clothes after a quick conversation with manager Buck Showalter roughly one hour before the trade deadline.
The 35-year-old Pham, who joined the Mets has well exceeded the one-year, $6 million deal he signed in the winter as a depth outfield option. But given New York’s struggles this season, he became one of their most valuable bats.
In 79 games, he batted .268 with an .820 OPS, 10 home runs, and 36 RBI. He had been even better over his last 44 games, slashing .308/.386/.548 (.933 OPS) with seven round-trippers and 26 RBI — though he’s recently dealt with a groin issue.
In return, the Mets are receiving a 17-year-old prospect in Rodriguez, who just joined the organization this season. Listed as a shortstop, the Dominican product batted .250 with a .751 OPS, two home runs, and 18 RBI in 37 games. He was not ranked by MLB.com within the Diamondbacks’ top 30 prospects.
For more on Tommy Pham and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
