Tommy Pham played like he wanted to stay in Kansas City.
The Royals are rumored to be interested in adding the Sox veteran outfielder. He made a good showing as he went 5-for-13 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored.
It is good to see Pham starting to hit better to build up his trade value. He has a .278/.333/.417 slash line over the past 30 days.
Hopefully, the Royals were impressed enough to part with a prospect that has a high ceiling.
Why are Pham, Paul DeJong, and Chris Flexen still on this team?
While moving Crochet, Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, and Robert Jr. might go up to the deadline expiring with the type of prospects they can get back, Pham, DeJong, and Flexen are probably only going to yield a young prospect with a high ceiling. They could also yield a pitcher who could be a high-leverage reliever.
While contenders are still shy when it comes to pulling off a deal, the Sox should be agressive in getting those three off their roster because as every day passes, those three trade value could decrease.
Flexen was awful on Friday. While he is not a pitcher who will not likely start a postseason game, he is good enough for a contender to be a fifth-starter upgrade and then throw in long relief.
DeJong can be a power bat off the bench. It just feels like the Sox are either trying to package Pham, DeJong, or Flexen in a Crochet or Robert Jr. deal. Otherwise, they are still asking for too much as those three should be easily traded much like when the Sox moved Robbie Grossman earlier this season. Grossman was terrible at the time he was moved.
The Sox got to get these three veterans off the roster as soon as possible even if it means the Sox will get to 110 losses well before they get to 45 wins.