The Royals strengthen their outfield with two veterans as KC has signed both Tommy Pham And Robbie Grossman from the waivers list. Katie Woo of The Athletic reported (X-Link) that Pham was taken off the Cardinals’ waivers list after St. Louis designated him for transfer yesterday, and Anne Rogers of MLB.com (via X) reported that the Royals also picked up Grossman from the Rangers. Texas placed Grossman on waivers on Thursday.
Since these additions occurred before September 1, Pham and Grossman would be eligible for the Royals’ postseason roster if KC makes the playoffs. After a dismal 106-loss season in 2023, the Royals have already far surpassed last year’s win total with a 75-61 record – Kansas City owns the second AL wild-card spot and is 2.5 games behind the Guardians for first place in the AL Central.
Despite this success, the outfield was a clear weak link for KC for most of the season, and the ranks were thinned even further when Hunter Renfroe was placed on the injured list last week. In addition to the loss of Renfroe, the Royals’ lineup suffered another major blow when Vinnie Pasquantino suffered a broken thumb on Thursday and will likely miss the remainder of the regular season.
The Royals were one of several teams that had interest in Pham before the trade deadline, when Pham was an obvious candidate for a trade as a veteran loan player for a re-forming White Sox team. The Cardinals got Pham and Erick Fedde as part of a three-way trade with the Dodgers and White Sox at the deadline, as St. Louis hoped that Pham and the right-hander Erick Fedde could improve both the lineup and the rotation before the play-off phase.
Unfortunately, the rebound didn’t materialize for Cards Nation, as the Cardinals went 11-16 in August. Pham himself didn’t help much, posting a .206/.286/.368 batting average in 77 at-bats during his brief time in St. Louis.
Since Pham wanted both more playing time and a competitor, he discussed the possibility of a release with the Cardinals, and this wish has now been fully fulfilled with the move via Missouri to the Royals. From the Cardinals’ point of view, the separation from Pham meant more playing time in the outfield for Jordan Walkerand saved a bit on payroll costs. Pham has about $480,000 left of his original $3 million salary for the 2024 season, and Kansas City will now foot the rest of that bill.
Switch-hitter Grossman also began his season as a member of the White Sox, but was traded back to the Rangers in May because Texas didn’t have many right-handed hitters. Grossman was a known quantity in Arlington after being a starter on the 2023 World Series team, and he posted similar numbers in his second try as a Ranger, posting a batting average of .238/.336/.362 in 122 PA for Texas this season.
The Rangers’ title defense fell far short of expectations, and so the team dropped both Grossman and his teammate Travis Jankowski on waivers to see if another team can take a few bucks off the Rangers. Grossman has about $240,000 left on his $1.5 million base salary, so this is another inexpensive addition for the Royals.
Grossman has continued to crush left-handed pitchers and Pham has continued to put up solid numbers against lefties, giving Kansas City two new options for the lineup. Either player could fill Renfroe’s role as a regular right fielder who gives up some at-bats against righties to Adam Frazieror either Pham or Grossman could spell MJ Melendez (another left-hander) in left field. With the DH spot also up for grabs, it’s not hard to imagine Pham or Grossman stepping into more or less everyday roles, at least until Renfroe can return.
The Royals will be the ninth team Pham has suited up for over the course of his 11 major league seasons at the MLB level, while Grossman is joining his eighth team in his 12-year career on the show. The duo brings a lot of experience to a young Royals team, and we only have to look back to 2023 to see how Grossman and Pham (after he’s traded to the Diamondbacks) can help a playoff contender.
With a playoff spot on the line, general manager JJ Picollo has now aggressively sought to meet his team’s roster needs before the Sept. 1 deadline. Depending on what happens in the championship race, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Royals add more players just to make it into October, even if any additions after Sept. 1 wouldn’t be part of playoff rosters.
