Feb 19: The sides have agreed to terms, per Newsday’s Tim Healey, and Voit has joined the Mets in camp. Healey adds that the contract is expected to be finalized later today.
Feb 17: 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.
Lose a vogelbach, and get back two.
Blue Jays were interested but FAA said they wouldn’t allow the Jays “thicc” trio in the states with another member.
I think Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest fly to Toronto. If those planes can carry a full flight of the standard Midwest “fatty fatty 2X4”, they can carry a blue jays exclusive flight.
W&TLM
Muted (fatphobia)
Hey Mike Ford is still available !!!
A little Ji-Man vs Voit action. A two men enter one man leaves scenario. Talk about spring training drama! What’s the sportsline?
Padres better be in on a big move or something.
The amount of affordable viable minor league signings they have missed out on is deplorable for a franchise crying foul about its payroll.
Stick with Voit, he’s right on the ball…literally…
Simply signing warm bodies is not a plan.
It is for the Mets – all these players the Mets have signed are all fill-ins and back-ups and are trade bait when July rolls around – this is a 70 win team at best so just be ready when the Mets deal Pete to the Cubs and many others go also – Diaz will be traded during the winter and Mets announce they are doing a full rebuild –
Tow – for every Voit (he failed miserably as a Padres) that is signed even as a minor leaguer, those at ABs taken away from the young guys in camp that are apparently being given a shot at making the team (albeit maybe a few months early).
What you see as a low risk chance on a guy that has proven he isn’t capable is a missed opportunity for the young guys that ned to show if they are capable.
I get that your glass seems to be 1/2 empty all the time but, really, the glass is never truly 1/2 empty or 1/2 full. There is always something in the glass even if it’s just air. You just have to open your eyes to see it and have a faith.
Most of the experrts believe the Padres younger players need a little more seasoning.
If the plan is to immediately let the kids play then there will be plenty of adjustments as they grow into their positions.
That s why a Voit, who won’t break the bank should be signed, to be a placeholder.
Unless, in the very least,Duvall and Taylor are in play, options are running out.
As options run out for free agents the temptation to trade for a player or two grows.
The risk is then overpaying for players in a trade.
This cycles back to playing the kids to start the season.
You don’t know what your going to get with starting several 19 and 20 year olds.
Tow – have you never seen how many fill-ins become available near the end of ST?
There will be a dozen Voits hit the streets in 6 weeks.
They may be available but what’s concerning is the pattern the Padres have established this offseason.
Not sure they would sign anyone off the streets.
Baty doesnt have it — Vientos isnt a 3b or OF maybe 1b but it appears he is too slow for that – just a DH – Mauricio has talent and would have made to opening day roster – I seen him as the 2b with McNeil moving to 3b to solve 3b
Alonso replacement.
No
Signing Voit is a total dart throw and nothing more. He’s been in decline since a series of knee injuries in 2021.
Signing Voit is to fill a spot in Syracuse, nothing more.
This is not the missing piece of the puzzle.
Don’t get me wrong, reclamation projects have value but Voit is a bad bet.
Its only a bad bet if you actually risk something. They haven’t. They’ve given him a minor league deal. If he flops, the Mets have lost nothing.
From where I’m standing there’s always the value of the 40 man roster spot. Even if Voit hadn’t been an injury risk over the last 3 seasons, he’s been subpar at the plate for the last two. He’s never been a good defender either.
I don’t think Voit has value as a depth piece, which is the whole point of minor league signings.
That’s 2020 AL HR King Luke Voit.
Somehow finished 9th in the NL MVP race that season according to this article.
His value transcended league boundaries. That’s how hard it is to quantify the Voit Factor.
He’s not that player anymore. That’s why the Yankees made the ill-fated trade for Rizzo in 2021.
I’ll fated? Rizzo has been better than any other first baseman they’ve had in years.
Rizzo has been worse than Voit was pre-injury and worth just 3.3 WAR in parts of 3 seasons with the Yankees. Ill- fated.
And in 1169 PA, iirc. When the Yankees signed Rizzo I thought, god, no, don’t do this. Stick a rookie there for 800k and spend the $17m per on a real player at a position of real need, presumably pitching.
They could have put Cabrera or Peraza there, fcol, and gotten 1.5+ WAR / 500 PA.
But the last thing Cashman will ever be is creative.
I think you mean AL
Alonzo good as gone now
Moronic comment unless it was sarcasm.
Maybe Alonzo is, but not ALONSO.
Google and Baseball Reference are your friends, or should be.
Yea sure. Choi & Voit platoon replaces Pete.
He seemed like an affable guy while with the Padres. Self-effacing to entertain the fans. Too bad he didn’t produce.
Sure to be alot of Pantera blasting in the Syracuse clubhouse this season
Hallelujah! We lose Vogelslug and get back Luuuke! He’s gonna start a fashion trend in NYC with rockin that open chested uni look for big dudes! Chick’s are gonna eat it up, yo! That signing is worth it’s weight in fashion pub!!
Voit and Choi? It’s like the Mets are trying to replace Dan Vogelbach with Dan Vogelbach
Luke really likes the tap beer at Mad Monks across the street in Binghamton. He’s going to try and get sent down.
The Mets are around a 79 win team at best as presently constructed. If they get a top of the rotation starting P and a solid bat they could sneak in with the third wild card. Sadly they just keep signing scrubs. Hoping for some last minute additions to make the team competitive.
The Syracuse Mets should be very competitive. 79 wins still gets Syracuse a third or fourth place overall divisional finish on the IL, unless those wins come bunched in the first half or second half of the season, then they can make the IL playoffs.
Syracuse looks pretty good stocked with a few decent prospects and some quality AAAA guys. They’ll win more than the NY Mets if upgrades aren’t made at the major league level.
I think the Voit signing a nod to Carlos Mendoza and trying to catch lightning in a bottle for someone he worked with. . Voit did rake while at Syracuse, but last played end of July. I thought he opted out, but was he hurt August to years’ end? I don’t know.
@mahalkita What’s interesting is that the Mets have spent $60m on free agents this offseason (plus $70m in penalties) without adding even a single, competent MLB regular.
All of Severino, Houser, and Manaea project to below league average ERAs, as do Ottavino, Fujinami, Diekman, and Tonkin.
Bader’s a part-timer turning 30, with a 69 OPS+. Tyrone Tayler’s projections are even worse. Wendle is sub-replacement level.
It’s extraordinary, really. If Cohen was less concerned about being embarrassed again in 2024, for that $60m the Mets could have added actually good players—probably three of them, guys that actually moved the needle. I get that they need to get under the cap in 2025 before seriously reloading in 2026 and more probably 2027, so they didn’t want to load up on guys who (1) push total salary on multiyear deals to the point where the Mets couldn’t get back under the $243m 2025 threshold, and (2) would be getting old as of 2026 and after as those multiyear deals hamstrung them just when they want to be able to add FAs in their prime.
Still, this seems like the worst of all possible worlds. They’re currently at around $167m for 2025, leaving $76m worth of room under the LT. Did they really think adding Montgomery and a one or two year deal for a serious OFer (plus whatever Stearns thinks he’s doing with the pen albeit with a serious setup man instead of, say, Fujinami) was worse than the path they’re choosing?
I don’t think Stearns was a good choice for the Mets and he’s not likely to last long here. I barely know anything about the manager either but to bring in a first time manager and an 80% change of players. It’s going to be a long year. I have no idea why they didn’t keep Buck. Just changing to make a change.
Feels like it. Buck also had his own way of doing things, which it doesn’t seem like Stearns wanted to deal with. Stearns has grown up in the era of push button managers who take orders from the FO and are definitely subordinate to the FO.
Buck would have fought him, particularly in the last year of the three year contract he signed prior to the 2022 season. .
@mahalkita “I barely know anything”
Stearns is a loser – didnt see other teams breaking down his door to hire him — he is a butt kisser period
You’re an ignoramus – period
since you want to be rude and act like a 10 yr old so are you – you come off as someone with an IQ of about 40 – did ur parents let you out of the house to be made fun of and laughed at ? ppl like you bring this site down with ur posts – I bet you have zero friends – but you can post here even if a good post or stupid — I would give you a thumbs up if ur post is good – I suspect you are an intern working for the Mets
You need to be muted, enough of your nonsense Mets bashing
Gonna go ahead here and suggest MLB execs tend not to check in on streamer or ZIPS projections and base their strategy on that.
It’s clear you don’t like Stearns, before a ball is even thrown under his tenure at Queens, but maybe revisit the topic of his first off season next year as to whether it panned out or it didn’t, eh?
On another note, umagine how embarrassing it is to post about player ages then simp for giving 31 years old Montgomery a 6+ years contract. Funny how nobody seems to be chomping at the bit to get him.
What an excellent post on ur part !!! Important pieces could have been added this past off season but were not – afterall all we have heard is Cohen is so loaded with $$$ whats a few more dollars spent ? maybe he thinks he can take his dough with him when he goes to the other side –
If the Mets wanted to actually take a shot on a good hitter on a minor league contract, why not try to sign CJ Cron?
Because who is CJ Cron at this point outside of Coors Field?
CJ hit 25&30 HRs with other teams. He also has low K for power hitter.
@royhobbs7 Was Cron good enough recently enough that the Mets would have to give him a major league deal or more money than they’d like, given he’d be something like the 4th-best 1Bman on their depth chart?
Interesting, that there has been NO discussion of Baty at 1B. Suggests to me that they think he just can’t adapt, that he won’t even be competent at his long-time position of 3B, and they’re just using 3B as the means to getting Baty 600 PA in 2024 as his audition to DH in 2025 and thereafter.
exactly
Lol “exactly” like you have a clue. The Mets are giving Baty 600 ABs at 3rd to try him at DH? You guys are absolutely loony
Can you drive a car ? do you drink alot ? you are fooling urself if you think these guys have talent I didnt say Baty would be the DH – you dont have to insult ppl to make ur point – I guess you got beat up alot as a kid and this is the only place you can be mean and you wont have to face someone cuz you can hide like other low lifes – cmon try and be nice and I will be nice to you – its doesnt take alot to be nice to one another
It’s a pity you can’t read. The point is to give Baty 600 PA (not AB, PA—you didn’t even get that right), and 3B is the position from which he’ll get a 600 PA audition.
Sigh. Why do I bother?
Alonso getting traded at the deadline and resigned in November? Voit and the other guy will cover 1st for the time being.
This shouldn’t even be a story… Rumors of Major League deals?… of course, it’s MLB Trade Rumors. Reports of minor league signings?… sure, could result in time on a Major League roster. Rumors of a minor league signing?!?!! … too many degrees of separation… wait “til it’s official. We’re not that starved for action.
Wonder if has anything left in tank.. Guess don’t hurt to see
His Baseball Reference page is quietly one of the best looking. That bolded italicized 22 in the exact middle right between 21 and 22 HR seasons written normally.
Chef’s kiss
The Mets are not signing big free agents to long term contracts because they have players in the minors who are close. You can’t block the path for those guys with long term contracts. The other reason is because they want to get below the Cohen tax line. The signings of Choi, and Voit have nothing, whatsoever, to do with Alonso, and his situation. If Alonso leaves the Mets, neither Choi, or Voit will be his replacement next year. That will be a free agent signing, unless Vientos steps up, because that is one position where the Mets minor league system is lacking.
People here are really prejudging David Stearns complete 5 year contract with Mets based on 3 months and Luke Voit
OMG he is signed for 5 yrs ? Mets wont recover in standing or fan faith for the next 10 yrs — Yankees once again will rule NY and the back pages
That’s your opinion and like most of what you comment on here it’s uninformed nonsense
U r right its my opinion and I have a right to express it just like you do
Is there anymore Ex Yankees we can take off the junk heap
Ya spell Mets: Y A N K E E S… Who knew?
Wait, what?
So far the Mets have signed, Scrub, Severino, Bader and Voit… Anyone seeing a pattern here?
It started with Carlos Mendoza. He worked with these guys and knows them. A whole lot of potential “comeback player of the year” candidates. Not that any of these guys will merit that, but if one comes through, deadline trade bait.
That seems to be the pattern.
And no different than Nick Burdi, Luis Torrens, Kevin Smith, Dennis Santana, Greg Allen, Luis Gonzalez ( the outfielder), Jeter Downs and Art Warren. Do you see the pattern here?
Every team stocks up on minor league signings, with invitations to the Big League spring training. Maybe catch lightning in a bottle. But none are prospects.
Who is Scrub? Ottavino??
Ottavino’s nickname was never scrub. Buy the Mets did sign Andre Scrubb to a minor league deal this offseason.
Unfortunately for the narrative above, he was never a Yankee farmhand, and therefore messes up Brick 7’s so-called pattern.
The Dodgers illegitimate World Series and Luke Voit getting MVP votes tells you how truly ridiculous 2020 was.
Alonso traded for a Voit/Choi platoon. Doubtful but Mets fans would lose their minds lol.
We would but if they don’t sign an extension and by trade deadline they are out of it why wouldn’t they? Grab bunch top prospects for a rental. Resign Alonso in November.
The players who will come from the Cubs are suspects – Mets wont get the haul they think they will — and why ? Pete will be a 2 month rental – Mets have sure messed up this thing with Pete
No reporting on the Choi deal. Just rumor of Voit.
Everybody’s talkin’ at me
I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’
I’m just drivin’ around in Luke Voit’s car
Luuuuke.
I wish him well. He was great with the Yankees, but his fall from grace was rapid once the injuries came.
We can rebuild Vogelbach. We have the technology. But we don’t want to spend a lot of money.
Voit is just Luke warm now – hot days are over
Strange, in any case, that the Mets are stocking up on Voits and Chois.
They’re short of 1Bmen in the minors. JT Schwarz is an emergency stopgap at age 24, having only gotten 277 PA above A ball, none of them in AAA, though his bat finally came around last year. Luke Ritter, 27, got a little time there and hit well. They played DJ Stewart there in 2023 for 20 games. Vientos got the most games at 1B in Syracuse along with…
… Luke Voit, who played 26 games at 1B for Syracuse last season, which none of you are aware of.
Sigh.