Baltimore signed Tommy Pham to a minor league contract on May 16, giving the 38-year-old outfielder a new stop in a career that has already taken him to 11 different MLB teams. The deal includes an opt-out in early June if Pham has not been added to the Orioles’ active roster, according to a person familiar with the contract.
If Pham appears in a game for Baltimore, he would become the 24th player and ninth position player to suit up for 11 major league teams in his career. The move comes after a stretch in which he went hitless in 14 plate appearances over nine games for the Mets earlier in 2026, a brief run that ended with him designated for assignment in late April and then becoming a free agent after clearing waivers rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A.
Pham’s recent numbers show why clubs still keep giving him looks, even if the ceiling is limited. Since Opening Day 2020, he has hit.240/.321/.382 over 2,730 plate appearances with a 96 wRC+, and his only full seasons of above-average offense in that span came in 2021, when he posted a 103 wRC+, and 2023, when he reached 109 wRC+. In 2025, he hit.245/.330/.370 over 449 plate appearances for the Pirates.
The financial terms also make the transaction relatively low-risk for Baltimore. Pham’s previous minor league deal with the Mets did not come until March 26, 2026, and when New York selected his contract on April 12, it guaranteed him a $2.25 million salary for 2026. The Orioles would owe only the prorated portion of roughly $1.65 million remaining for any time he spends on their 26-man roster.
Baltimore has room to justify the move. Taylor Ward and Tyler O’Neill are the club’s primary corner outfielders, but Ryan Mountcastle is on the 60-day injured list, Jordan Westburg is out for the season, Dylan Beavers and Heston Kjerstad are also on the injured list, and Kjerstad was making progress on a minor league rehab assignment. Samuel Basallo is the regular designated hitter when he is not spelling Adley Rutschman behind the plate, and he bats left-handed, leaving Pham as a possible fill-in option against left-handed pitching.
Pham is represented by Republik Sports, and his path to Baltimore fits the same pattern that has defined much of his career: veteran production that once made him a useful regular, followed by one more team seeing enough value to try again. He went almost the entire offseason without a job before landing with the Mets on March 26, and then lasted just a few weeks before New York moved on. Baltimore is betting that a short leash and a thin roster can still turn that résumé into useful at-bats.
