Mets, Luke Voit Reportedly Nearing Minor League Deal

The Mets are reportedly “moving toward” a minor league deal with Luke Voit, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. SNY’s Andy Martino reported earlier this afternoon that the sides were discussing a potential deal, which would include an invite to big league Spring Training.

Voit, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this week, started the 2023 season with the Brewers but struggled through 22 games with the big league club, hitting just .221/.284/.265 with a 36.5% strikeout rate and just three extra base hits (all doubles) in 74 trips to the plate. That brief stint in Milwaukee was the only big league action Voit saw last year, though he did rake to the tune of a .263/.420/.615 slash line at the Triple-A level in 45 games split between the Brewers and the Mets, the latter of whom he signed on with in June of last year after being released by Milwaukee earlier in the month.

While Voit’s 2023 campaign certainly left something to be desired, he’s also enjoyed his fair share of success throughout seven seasons in the big leagues. Voit made his debut in 2017 as a member of the Cardinals and hit to roughly league average results during a 62-game stint on the club’s bench, though he wouldn’t remain in the organization for long as he was traded to the Yankees in the deal that sent Giovanny Gallegos to St. Louis. That kicked off an incredible four-year stint in the Bronx where Voit slashed a whopping .270/.362/.519, including a dominant showing in the shortened 2020 season that earned him a ninth-place finish in NL MVP voting.

Voit’s tenure with the Yankees came to an end after the club landed Anthony Rizzo in a deal with the Cubs prior to the 2021 trade deadline before deciding to extend him the following offseason. With Rizzo entrenched at first base for the foreseeable future, the Yankees decided to flip Voit to the Padres just before the start of the 2022 season. Voit appeared in just 82 games for San Diego before he was swapped once again, this time to the Nationals as part of the blockbuster that sent Juan Soto to San Diego (where, coincidentally, Soto would eventually find himself traded to the Bronx back in December.)

If the deal is completed, Voit would provide the Mets with a veteran slugger who sports a 121 wRC+ for his career in the majors. While Voit certainly won’t be usurping star slugger Pete Alonso’s role as the club’s everyday first baseman, Voit could provide competition for youngster Mark Vientos for the role of the club’s primary DH to open the season if the deal is completed. All signs in recent months have pointed toward the Mets offering Vientos a chance to establish himself in the majors to open the 2024 campaign, though he’s struggled to a .205/.255/.354 slash line in 274 trips to the plate at this point in his major league career. If Vientos’s struggles continue, Voit’s presence could give the club a veteran fallback option as they try to remain competitive in 2024 while primarily focusing on building for the 2025 season and beyond.