The Mets are making it a habit of signing ex-Yankees to minor-league deals this year. Gary Sanchez was first, and now it’s Luke Voit:
We’ve signed first baseman Luke Voit to a minor league contract. He will join the Syracuse Mets and be active tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/IER9avA4kF
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 12, 2023
Voit hasn’t had a good year by any stretch of the imagination. Before getting let go by the Milwaukee Brewers, he was hitting .221/.284/.265 with just three extra-base hits (all doubles) in 74 plate appearances.
Similar to signing Sanchez and sending him to Triple-A Syracuse, there’s no harm in doing this with Voit. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. And since Pete Alonso will be sidelined for multiple weeks, it makes sense to have depth in the upper minors with MLB experience.
I have no problem with this kind of signing. It’s hard to have an issue with it on the surface, right? But I’m sure many Mets fans can see the writing on the wall here.
We don’t know the details yet, but you’d have to imagine Voit has an opt-out date included in his newly-signed contract. If he performs and the Mets decide to promote him, it better mean Daniel Vogelbach is the roster casualty (assuming he’s still on the roster and still not producing).
The second thing is more important. If Voit does get back to the big leagues, it better not solely be to take at-bats away from Mark Vientos.
With Alonso on the shelf, you’d have to imagine this is the 23-year-old’s opportunity to play consistently and for the Mets to see if he can be an offensive contributor. If he gets that much-needed playing time and doesn’t perform, then fine. He better get a fair shake before that decision is made, though.
I don’t want to see Luis Guillorme pinch-hit for him late during one-run games anymore. If Vientos and Voit are on the big-league roster at the same time, Vientos needs to be the priority. If that’s not the case, then send him back to Triple-A.
So, there’s nothing to be upset about with the Mets signing Voit yet. Can’t hurt with the way things are going, right? But, it’s the next move or two that we’ll need to keep an eye on before possibly getting annoyed.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
