TAMPA – Luke Voit has felt like a dead Yankee in recent days, and for good reason. The 2020 MLB Home Run champion knew that Anthony Rizzo’s return this week is the starter on the first base, securing his time with the Yankees coming to an end soon.
His time with the Yankees ended Friday morning with a trade on the San Diego Padres, MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman reports.
Here are the details of the deal, pro Yankees PR:
The New York Yankees announced today that they have signed RHP Justin Lange from the San Diego Padres in exchange for INF Luke Voit.
The Yankees, too tweeted Goodbye Voit:
LUUUUUUUUKE, thank you for your unsurpassed energy, Homer Hop, and Stone-Cold Cellys. Good luck in San Diego
DH is coming to the NL this season and the Padres need one. Voit is a poor defensive first baseman, but profiles himself as a very good DH in a Padres lineup that already includes a few boppers: third baseman Manny Machado, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (when he recovers), first baseman Eric Hosmer, second baseman Jake Cronenworth and right fielder Wil Myers.
Voit says he is back to 100% healthy this spring after missing most of last season’s knee problems. The Yankees will open their Grapefruit League schedule on Friday and Voit will be in line-up for a game in Bradenton, Fla., Against the Pirates.
“These next 19 games are important for me to show other teams … prove that I’m healthy again,” said Voit.
Voit, 31, was consumed on Wednesday night when the Yankees slammed the free agent market to re-sign Rizzo, who joined the team in early July last year when he was traded by the Chicago Cubs. Rizzo has landed a two-year $ 32 million deal with the Yankees, which includes an opt-out after the 2022 season.
Voit had appeared in just 72 major league games over two seasons as he was traded by the Cardinals and Yankees in the 2018 trade deadline. He made his way to the Yankees’ regular first baseman at the end of the season, in a .333 clip with 14 homers and 33 RBI in 39 games.
Voit followed with a good season in 2019, hitting .263 with 21 homers and 62 RBIs in 118 games, then topping that in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign as he led the majors with 22 homers and in 52 runs and 56 games were played.
He hit a career-low .239 last season over just 68 games with 11 homers and 35 RBIs when he was not on the injured list. Over his knee injuries, he hopes for a rebound season no matter where he stops.
“I feel great,” Voit said. “I feel healthy, and that’s all I wanted to control this year.”
Here’s part of the MLB Pipeline’s free scout report on Lange:
Lange’s fastball set in the mid-90s and can both run and sink. He has the power of a second power pitch and a slider that could become a plus mid-80s weapon with bite. The pitch, however, is inconsistent and should be a focal point of the long run as he begins to confront pro hitters. He will also incorporate a change he has rarely thrown against the high school opposition.
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Randy Miller can be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.
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