ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and international slot money from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Justin Williams, minor league left-handed pitcher Genesis Cabrera and minor league right-handed pitcher Roel Ramirez. A corresponding move to the 25-man roster will be made later.
Pham, 30, is batting .248/.311/.399 (87-for-396) with 14 home runs, 41 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 98 games (90 starts) this season with the Cardinals. He is tied for 6th in the National League with 67 runs scored, and is one of nine NL players with double-digit homers and steals so far this season. Last season, Pham finished 11th in overall balloting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award, batting .306/.411/.520 (136-for-444) with 23 home runs, 73 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 128 games (116 starts). He became the first Cardinals player with at least 20 homers and 20 steals in a single season since Reggie Sanders in 2004, and is the only player in franchise history to do that with a .300 avg. or better. Last season, he ranked among NL leaders in batting avg. (11th), on-base pct. (third), runs (95, tied for 10th) and stolen bases (fourth).
Pham was selected by the Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2006 June Draft out of Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nev. He spent parts of nine seasons in the minor leagues before making his major league debut on September 9, 2014. Over parts of five seasons in the majors, he is batting .271/.365/.463 (300-for-1,109) with 51 home runs and 149 RBI.
Williams, 22, has spent the entire season with Triple-A Durham aside from a one-day stint with the Rays, making his major league debut as a pinch-hitter on July 21 against the Miami Marlins. He is batting .258/.313/.376 (92-for-356) with eight home runs and 46 RBI in 94 games for the Bulls and was named to the International League midseason All-Star Team. Last season, he was named by the Rays Baseball Operations department as the Most Valuable Player for Montgomery, batting .301/.364/.489 (110-for-366) with 21 doubles, 14 home runs and 72 RBI in 96 games. Williams was originally acquired by the Rays from the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2014 and is batting .299/.342/.433 (608-for-2,033) with 44 home runs and 308 RBI over six minor league seasons. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 14 prospect in the organization.
Cabrera, is 7-6 with a 4.12 ERA (113.2-IP, 52-ER) and 124 strikeouts in 21 appearances (20 starts) for Double-A Montgomery and was named to the Southern League midseason All-Star Team. He ranks among Southern League leaders in strikeouts (second), innings (fourth) and opponents' batting avg. (fifth), and leads Rays minor leaguers in strikeouts. He was signed by the Rays as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic on November 1, 2013 and is 29-21 with a 3.60 ERA (410.1-IP, 164-ER) in 88 apps (69 starts) over five minor league seasons. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 25 prospect in the organization.
Ramirez, is 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA (53.1-IP, 15-ER) in 34 apps (1 start) between Class-A Charlotte and Montgomery. He did not allow a run in eight apps spanning 12.2 IP with the Stone Crabs, and was promoted to the Double-A level on May 2. He was selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2013 June Draft out of United South High School in Laredo, Texas. Over six minor league seasons, he is 26-21 with a 3.85 ERA (376.1-IP, 161-ER) in 124 apps (45 starts).