One of the rumors circulating this off-season has been the potential trading of first baseman Luke Voit. The New York Yankees have enjoyed the rise of Voit, who came over from the St. Louis Cardinals and has revitalized a position of weakness.
Voit, who led the MLB with 22 home runs during the 2020 regular season, has made himself invaluable, but trading him right now might be the best course of action, considering his value is at an all-time high. Selling high on a player who has struggled with injuries and doesn’t have a lengthy sample size of production can be justified.
However, the scenario to trade him must be perfect, and the Yankees must have a backup plan in place. Currently, they only have Mike Ford, who can slide into the position, as they have yet to extend DJ LeMahieu, who would be the alternative option.
Theoretically, if the Yankees signed LeMahieu and elected to trade Voit, they can move the star infielder to first base and slide Gleyber Torres back to second base. That would make room for Francisco Lindor, who is reportedly at the top of the Yankees’ wish list this off-season. With the Cleveland Indians finally ready to trade him, the Yankees could be intrigued, but they will have to give up serious capital to acquire him.
Why are you treating Luke Voit isn’t beneficial for the New York Yankees:
After years of issues at first base, the Yankees have finally found an answer at the position, so trading him away could constitute malpractice. Not only was he a focal point during the 2020 season, but his 2019 campaign was his break out.
For the sake of relevance, let’s take a look at his most recent season and what he brings to the Yankees. As stated above, he hit a league-high 22 homers this year, driving in 52 RBIs in 56 games. He had fewer than half of the at-bats he enjoyed in 2019 but still managed to produce more offensively.
Defensively, Voit has gotten better, finishing with a .991 fielding percentage and allowing three errors over 48 games. While he was worth -3 runs, the margin for error is debatable.
Offensively, he produced so much for the Yankees that his defensive deficiency isn’t even worth considering. Overall, even if the Yankees elected to trade him, the return might shore up the starting rotation or add prospects, but it would hurt their starting lineup significantly.