Tommy Pham: Tampa Bay Rays Have 'Really No Fanbase at All'

Outfielder Tommy Pham was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Tampa Bay Rays last season, a move he didn't exactly enjoy.

"It sucks going from playing in front a of a great fan base to a team with really no fan base at all," Pham said Thursday on SiriusXM, per ESPN.

The 30-year-old spent the final two months of the season in Tampa and remains under team control for three more years.

Pham likely won't make too many friends in his own city with his recent comments, though there is certainly some truth to it.

The Rays finished last season averaging only 14,259 fans per game, which was ahead of only the Miami Marlins, per Baseball Reference. While the Marlins ended the year with a 63-98 record, the Rays were 90-72 and the best team in the majors among those that failed to reach the playoffs.

St. Louis ranked third in baseball with 42,020 fans per game, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.

Pham was so disappointed in the attendance that he believes relocation could even be necessary.

"Do I think something has to happen, whether it be a new ballpark, maybe a new city? I think so," he added Thursday. "Because if you have a team that's going to be winning 90-plus games, competing in [the American League East], and you don't have any fan support, that's a huge problem."

After years in the minors and limited time in the majors, Pham broke out in 2017 with a .306 average and 23 home runs, good enough to earn some votes for MVP.

While he had a slow start to the 2018 season with the Cardinals, he impressed with the Rays while hitting .343 and seven home runs in 39 games. With this type of production, it's hard to imagine how well he could have done with more fan support behind him.