The New York Mets announced on Monday that they have signed first baseman Luke Voit to a minor-league deal. He will report to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse where he will be made active on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old righty began the 2023 season with the Milwaukee Brewers but was released on June 2 following a difficult stretch in which he batted .221 with zero home runs and four RBI across 22 games (68 at-bats).
A severe lack of power made him more than expendable considering the long ball is the most important aspect of his game.
After being given a very small chance by the St. Louis Cardinals, he was acquired by the Yankees midway through the 2018 season where he quickly developed into one of the more imposing power hitters in the game.
He hit 14 home runs in 39 games with the Yankees before adding 21 in 118 games the next year in 2019. Voit then led the league with 22 home runs in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, hitting that mark in just 56 games. That’s a full-season pace of 59 home runs in 151 games.
But he failed to recreate that magic in 2021, hitting just 11 home runs in 68 games. The Yankees traded him prior o the 2022 season to the San Diego Padres where he hit 13 home runs in 82 games before getting swapped at the deadline to the Washington Nationals as a part of the Juan Soto deal. He added nine homers in 53 games.
With the Mets, Voit has an opportunity to regain some MLB playing time with Pete Alonso out for three to four weeks because of a wrist injury. It leaves the team sapped for power that has trotted Mark Canha and Mark Vientos in Alonso’s place at first.
Considering Daniel Vogelbach’s consistent lack of production from the DH spot, as well, there is another opportunity for Voit to make an MLB push.
He’s the second former Yankee of note to be picked up by the Mets, who gave Gary Sanchez a minor-league deal and promoted him for just three games to backup Francisco Alvarez. He was designated for assignment and picked up by the Padres where he’s hit five home runs in his first 12 games with the club.
