After the New York Yankees re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Tuesday night, it became clear that Luke Voit, who plays the same position and is a starting-caliber hitter, would play elsewhere.
Voit is limited defensively, so he would be a perfect designated hitter: the problem, for the Yankees, is that Giancarlo Stanton is the regular DH.
That’s why the Yanks traded Voit to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitcher Justin Lange on Friday.
“The Yankees get right hand pitcher Justin Lange in return for Voit, per @Feinsand. Lange was the #8 overall prospect and #2 pitching prospect in the Padres farm system. He was a first round pick that went 34th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted on Friday.
The Yankees get right hand pitcher Justin Lange in return for Voit, per @Feinsand
Lange was the #8 overall prospect and #2 pitching prospect in the Padres farm system. He was a first round pick that went 34th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 18, 2022
Voit is a major force at the plate when healthy, and that’s why some fans find the return insufficient for a player of his caliber.
He is, however, already 31, limited defensively, and injury-prone.
Additionally, the Yankees got a nice prospect in return.
A Raw, But Solid Prospect
Lange is raw, yes, but if he develops as the Yankees think he should, he has top-of-the-rotation potential as a right-handed pitcher in a couple of years.
Here is what FanGraphs’ prospect evaluator Eric Longenhagen had to say about Lange:
“As some teams pivot toward drafting pitchers with good command of good secondaries and try to develop velocity, Lange is a bit of the opposite. The Padres gave him $2 million in the comp round. He presents the Padres dev team with an elite frame, arm strength, and athleticism. The rest they’ll need to develop, as all of Lange’s secondaries are relatively raw.”
Longenhagen also said that “his fastball tilt isn’t ideal but I think the velo and angle created by his drop-and-drive delivery will mitigate that; it’s breaking ball depth that might be an issue from this slot. Regardless, Lange is a high-variance, high-upside talent.”
The Yankees’ player-development staff has gotten good results with pitchers recently, but they know they will have their hands full with Lange.
They hope to get results with him and see him contribute for the major league team sometime in 2024-25.
NEXT: Analyst Roasts Yankees Over Luke Voit Trade
