New York Yankees Trade 1B Luke Voit to San Diego Padres
BRADENTON, Fla. — Yankees first baseman Luke Voit has been traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-hander Justin Lange.
MLB insider Jon Heyman was first to report the trade. New York made an announcement making the deal official moments later.
Voit was penciled in to start at first base in New York’s Grapefruit League opener in Bradenton against the Pirates on Friday afternoon. After mingling with his teammates during batting practice, Voit retreated to the clubhouse with manager Aaron Boone after hearing the news.
Earlier this week, Voit was dubbed the starting first baseman by Boone. His future with the club was always in question, though. The 31-year-old was on the injured list four times in 2021, influencing the Yankees to trade for Anthony Rizzo at last summer’s deadline.
When New York re-signed Rizzo in free agency on Wednesday night, bringing back the superior defender and left-handed bat, all signs pointed to a change in scenery.
Voit’s tenure in New York certainly didn’t end the way he wanted, but there were plenty of positive moments over the years.
The slugger mashed 22 home runs in the pandemic-shortened campaign in 2020, more long balls than any other player in baseball. He also provided a spark after he was acquired from the Cardinals in 2018.
Across four season and 281 total games with the Yankees, Voit hit .271/.363/.520 with 68 home runs and 182 RBI.
Now, the first baseman has an opportunity to take advantage of more playing time on the Padres. With the designated hitter coming to the National League, he’ll be able to get in the lineup far more often than he would’ve with Rizzo in the fold with New York.
Lange, the hurler the Yankees acquire from the Padres, was a first-round selection in 2020. He made his professional debut one year later, making nine starts for the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League (ACL) Padres, going 0-3 with a 6.95 ERA.
After Friday’s trade, the Yankees 40-man roster stands at 39.
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