Former Yankees Slugger Viewed As Mets Opening Day Candidate
The New York Mets enter the season with much different expectations than they had last year. While the Mets don't have the same caliber of roster this season, fans will be all over them if they don't win.
That's the harsh reality of playing in New York as fans expect them to be competitive every step of the way.
Despite the lack of talent compared to last year's roster, they made decent moves throughout the offseason that should make them competitive.
Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Joey Wendle, and even Luke Voit can help this team.
Voit, the former New York Yankees slugger, was signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Voit is a potential Opening Day candidate for the Mets.
The 33-year-old Voit is viewed as the potential DH heading into the season. Mark Vientos will have an opportunity to win the job this spring, but any struggles could make New York go with Voit.
Ji-Man Choi, another veteran, is viewed as another potential dark horse candidate to make the Opening Day roster, according to Theo DeRosa.
Voit has put together a respectable career, slashing .253/.339/.468 with 95 home runs throughout his seven years in the bigs.
His best seasons came with the Yankees in 2019 and 2020, hitting 21 and 22 home runs in those seasons respectively.
He spent time with the Mets Triple-A affiliate in 2023, hitting 14 home runs in 37 games.
It looks like Vientos' job to lose, but the prospect could struggle some given his lack of big-league experience, potentially allowing Voit to make the Opening Day roster.
