Is bringing Tommy Pham back to the Cardinals the right move?

With what looks to be the MLB trade deadline blockbuster move, the St. Louis Cardinals have won in a landslide. In a three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox, the Cardinals have acquired veteran starting pitcher Erick Fedde and platoon outfielder Tommy Pham for the cost of injured Tommy Edman and a lower-level minor league player. Most in the industry are baffled that the Cardinals pulled this off without spending more to do so.

Fedde is an automatic upgrade for the Cardinals pitching staff. With the current veteran arms aka "innings eaters" finally showing their age, the rotation is in dire need for a reliable arm to hold the rotation together. With Andre Pallante covering necessary innings for the short term and Lance Lynn falling apart, Fedde was a must. John Mozeliak also was looking for a right handed bat who can play centerfield. The team has struggled versus left-handed pitching all year and needed some thump to finish out the year. They found their answer with the package trade landing Tommy Pham. But was this the right move to make?

Pham, who started his career off with the Cardinals, did not leave the organization on the best of terms. ICYMI in 2018, Pham was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a collection of minor leaguers which was notable for landing reliever Genesis Cabrera. But what was more notable was how Pham blasted the Cardinals organization to Sports Illustrated over how he was treated during his time with the club. Most fans know that the Cardinals hold high integrity with their franchise and do not want people apart of the organization who do not want to be here.

Over the off-season though, Tommy Pham was rumored to show interest in a return to the Cardinals. Many wondered why his market was so soft after coming off the 2023 World Series where he became a valuable piece to the Arizona Diamondbacks playoff run. Maybe his desire was to join former teammates who were receiving offers to play in St. Louis again to assemble a veteran presence to help turn around the organization. It is being reported that the current clubhouse made a push for him going into this trade deadline. So it appears his history with the franchise is no longer an issue.

For a player with much off-field drama including night club fights, stabbings, and fantasy football punches thrown, he does not seem like the kind of player the DeWitts or Mozeliak would desire to bring back. But with winning on the line, you must act in the team's best interest. Mozeliak is already operating with a self-handicapped budget given by Bill DeWitt, he made the most of it, The Cardinals have reshuffled their roster, have not adjusted their team salary, and are ready for their push into October.