New York Yankees Rumors: NYC ball club eager to move players, rivals consider lower demands
The New York Yankees are rumored to be willing to trade two of their younger players as Opening Day approaches. This comes after they re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo and acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson from the Minnesota Twins.
First baseman Luke Voit and outfielder/infielder Miguel Andujar may be in the trade market. Both players have dealt with injuries over the past several seasons. The Yankees seem more willing than ever to move on from the two.
Rival teams say Yankees have (not surprisingly) become more “aggressive” in trying to move Luke Voit and Miguel Andujar, and not necessarily together as part of a package. One rival exec say they’ve “lowered” their demands on both (compared to in the past), on Voit especially
"Rival teams say Yankees have (not surprisingly) become more “aggressive” in trying to move Luke Voit and Miguel Andujar, and not necessarily together as part of a package. One rival exec say they’ve “lowered” their demands on both (compared to in the past), on Voit especially" - @ Erik Boland
New York Yankees player profiles: What to know about Luke Voit and Miguel Andujar
Luke Voit is from the St. Louis area and played college ball at Missouri State. Voit was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the June 2013 MLB Amateur Draft.
Luke Voit on his future following the Yankees' signing of Anthony Rizzo: "I had a coach in the minors that always told me that you're always playing for 29 other teams. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing, be ready for whatever happens. Right now, I'm New York Yankee."
"Luke Voit on his future following the Yankees' signing of Anthony Rizzo: 'I had a coach in the minors that always told me that you're always playing for 29 other teams. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing, be ready for whatever happens. Right now, I'm New York Yankee.'" - @ Mark Feinsand
Luke Voit made his Major League debut in 2017 with the Cardinals and showed some signs of promise in limited action. In 2018, Voit struggled in the first half of the season with the Cardinals and was traded during the season to the New York Yankees in exchange for relievers Giovanny Gallegos and Chasen Shreve.
The trade seemed to be a blessing for Voit as he would have a breakout second half with the Yankees. Voit, in just 39 games hit 14 home runs and drove in 33 RBIs with a batting average of .333. These numbers led to major expectations in 2019 for the young slugging first baseman.
Luke Voit continues to hit the ball hard in live BP https://t.co/FyIhUZgOqA
"Luke Voit continues to hit the ball hard in live BP" - @ Max Goodman
Luke Voit had another solid season in 2019 by hitting 21 home runs in just 118 games, but injuries were a hindrance. The shortened 2020 MLB season was the best of Voit's career as he led the Majors with 22 home runs and had a slugging percentage of .610 in 56 games.
The 2021 season proved a disappointment for Voit, and injuries played a factor as he played just 68 games and hit below .240 with just 11 home runs. The injury bug has been a cause for concern for the New York Yankees, and they are wanting to move on.
Miguel Andujar broke out in 2018 with an impressive .297 batting average with 27 home runs and 92 runs batted in. This had many New York Yankees fans thinking that they had a future star third baseman. Injuries and inconsistent performance have caused him to become a liability on defense and have led to Andujar's limited action the past three seasons. Andujar has failed to play in more than 45 games in each of the past three seasons.
We know the potential these players have. The question for these two will always be health and consistency at the plate. While this will probably not stop teams from showing interest, these questions must be in the back of every general manager's mind when looking at trading for the two.