The New York Yankees traded first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit to the San Diego Padres on Friday afternoon, in exchange for minor league pitcher Justin Lange.
Voit’s fate was decided when the Yankees re-signed fellow first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Tuesday night.
Voit loves his new destination: an up-and-coming team expected to contend in 2022 and beyond, and said he is excited for the opportunity.
“Luke Voit says he is relieved by the trade that will send him to San Diego: He is excited for a good opportunity with a team that should contend. Noted it’s different from the trade that sent him to New York because he has now established himself at the MLB level,” The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler tweeted on Friday.
Luke Voit says he is relieved by the trade that will send him to San Diego: He is excited for a good opportunity with a team that should contend. Noted it’s different from the trade that sent him to New York because he has now established himself at the MLB level.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 18, 2022
The Yankees preferred Rizzo over Voit for several reasons.
First, he hits left-handed, offering better balance to the lineup.
Secondly, Rizzo is a much better defensive player than Voit.
And third, Voit has become somewhat injury-prone in recent years.
Voit Is A Very Good Hitter And Fits In Nicely In San Diego
All of this doesn’t mean Voit is a bad player: to the contrary, when he is healthy, he is capable of mashing 30 home runs with a high OBP, and that’s offensive production that San Diego simply won’t find in Eric Hosmer.
For his career, Voit has a .267/.357/.510 line with a rock-solid .867 OPS.
He led the league in home runs in 2020, the pandemic season, with 22, so fans know what he’s capable of.
Knee and oblique injuries robbed him most of the 2021 season, however, and the Yankees felt it was time for a change of scenery.
The player likes his new team, and the Yankees get a solid prospect, a former first-round pick with a big arm and some control issues.
Additionally, the Yanks freed a roster spot for another acquisition.
Everybody wins.
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