Rangers miss out on right-handed-hitting outfielder that they most certainly didn't need

One thing that would have been nice for the Texas Rangers to acquire at the trade deadline would have been a right-handed-hitting outfielder. Evan Carter and Brandon Nimmo both hit from the left side, and while the team has Wyatt Langford, much of the depth, such as Alejandro Osuna, is also left-handed.

Truthfully, the Rangers never truly replaced what they hoped Andrew McCutchen could be as an right-handed DH and occasional outfielder. Of course, what McCutchen turned out to be is the reason why there is no McCutchen-like figure on the roster.

It turns out, though, that Chris Young was still on the prowl for a McCutchen-like figure, this time targeting 38-year-old outfielder Tommy Pham. Young simply didn't get his man. Pham was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Chicago White Sox today, but as Jon Heyman reported, the Rangers were in on Pham.

If you're wondering how Texas could have traded for a player when the deadline was nearly a month ago, the answer will tell you everything you need to know about Pham at this point in his career.

While the trade deadline was August 3, players can still be traded if they are signed to a minor league contract, have not been on a team's 40-man roster at any point during the season, and have not spent any time on the major league injured list.

Tommy Pham would have done nothing to help the Rangers down the stretch

Pham did play nine big league games for the New York Mets earlier this season and went hitless in 13 at-bats. He played much more frequently for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, logging 120 games, slashing .245/.330/.370 with 10 homers. He produced 0.1 fWAR. The last time Pham, once a dangerous hitter, posted a wRC+ of 100 or better was in 2023, when he spent time with the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 13-year veteran spent time in the Orioles, Mets, and Phillies minor league systems this year. He hit .239/.365/.410 across all of those stops.

What the Rangers really needed was an athletic, right-handed bat who could handle center field as well as the corners. Tyrone Taylor was our pick, but there were a handful of guys with similar skillsets that would have gotten the job done at the trade deadline.

Pham isn't that guy, and outside of being a well-buried depth piece, he really wouldn't have offered the Rangers anything. In fact, it's curious that they were in on him at all.

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