Should the St. Louis Cardinals go after Luke Voit? The lefty played with the Cardinals just four years ago and he is back on the market.
Should The Cardinals Go After Luke Voit
December is here and it is the time of the year when friendship is the most important. After a long year, there is no better feeling than reconnecting with your old friends. The St. Louis Cardinals very well might need to ponder rekindling with an old friend of theirs this offseason.
Luke Voit is a free agent and could fit well with the Cardinals. Voit did what a lot of Cardinals have done recently, have success with the New York Yankees (St. Louis-East) after leaving the team. He is a completely different player than when he was a Redbird. Should the Cardinals consider reuniting with Voit?
It Makes Sense
When people think of a reunion this offseason with the St. Louis Cardinals, most eyes gravitate toward Matt Carpenter. That seems the most realistic, but Luke Voit could also be a great fit. If I was the GM, they would have a similar role.
Bringing back Carpenter would check off a few boxes. He would likely be the go-to DH, but could be a great pinch hitter late in games or could bounce around the infield when needed. Voit is a 1B/DH and we surely do not need him on the corner of the infield with the reigning MVP coming back. So, where does he fit?
For quite some time the Cardinals have lacked a power bat from the left side. Voit would be a great addition to fill that void. He will also benefit from the shift being banned in 2023. The 6-foot-3 tank was born in St. Louis and despite the lack of rumors projecting him here, it makes sense.
Sure, it was the COVID season, but Luke Voit still led the league in home runs in 2020 with the New York Yankees. Going after the lefty would be a risk, but one worth considering.
After two straight seasons hitting below .240, his value is not at an all-time high. Voit is affordable and still has plenty of value as a 31-year-old. In 2022 he finished with a .710 OPS which was the lowest of his career. Going back to the COVID year, Voit had a .948 OPS and finished in the top 10 for MVP voting. Still–in a down year–Voit had 22 home runs and 69 RBIs in his 2022 campaign.
Mozeliak Has One Goal
John Mozeliak has not had a lot of conversations since the 2022 season ended, but he has made one thing clear. The No. 1 priority for the St. Louis Cardinals is acquiring an everyday catcher.
The Cardinals have been linked to guys like Trea Turner but Mo has said Tommy Edman is the guy. On top of that, he was also asked if he will try to sign any starting pitchers. The GM stated that we not only have quality starters, but he said we have six starting pitchers.
It is hard to tell how the long and grueling winter will turn out for the Cardinals, but a new catcher will be behind the plate. Who will that be? Who knows, but I think St. Louis needs to dip their feet into other areas of the field as well.
