Mets Are Nearing a Deal With Former MLB Home Run Leader: Reports

President of baseball operations David Stearns has been busy building depth on the New York Mets‘ roster this winter. That’s continuing even as spring training is getting underway, as the club has been linked to right-handed slugger Luke Voit.

SNY’s Andy Martino was the first to mention Voit getting interest from New York. “Mets are talking to Luke Voit about a minor league deal with a spring training invite,” he said via X (formerly Twitter) on February 17.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post followed this report by taking it one step further. He said the Mets and Voit are “moving toward a minor league agreement.”

Voit has made several big-league stops during his career, but none have been more fruitful than the parts of four seasons he spent with the New York Yankees. He posted a .883 OPS with 68 home runs and 182 RBI across 281 games played. This included two seasons of 20-plus home runs. He slugged 22 dingers during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, which led all of baseball.

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Why Are the Mets Bringing Voit Back Into the Fold?

If a deal comes together between the Mets and Voit, it will be a reunion. After struggling to a .548 OPS in 74 plate appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers to start 2023, he signed with the Mets and played for Triple-A Syracuse.

He spent 37 games and 164 plate appearances there and was quite productive. Voit slashed .264/.415/.643 with 14 homers, 35 RBI and 30 runs scored. The slugger exercised his opt-out clause at the beginning of August, which forced the Mets to either add him to the big-league roster or release him. New York did the latter, and Voit didn’t catch on with another club before the season was over.

So, why are the Mets interested in bringing Voit back into the fold? Likely for the same reason Ji-Man Choi was signed to a minor-league deal: designated hitter insurance. As it currently stands, youngster Mark Vientos will have an opportunity to grab the majority of at-bats for New York at DH.

DJ Stewart and Starling Marte could also grab some at-bats in that role. However, this is Vientos’ chance to prove what he can do at the big-league level with the bat in his hands. If he falters, hitters like Choi and Voit can provide internal options to pivot to, if necessary.

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Is There Any News on the Mets and J.D. Martinez?

Although Jorge Soler now plays for the San Francisco Giants, J.D. Martinez is an accomplished and powerful DH option who is still a free agent. The Mets have been connected to the right-handed slugger thanks to this winter’s slow-moving market.

MLB Trade Rumors predicted a two-year, $40 million contract for Martinez back on November 6. If he were to land in New York, though, it’d likely mean a steep discount from that prediction. On February 1, The Athletic’s Will Sammon said asking prices for veteran hitters will need to “dramatically drop” for the Mets to become “aggressive pursuers.”

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reinforced Sammon’s report on February 16. “The Mets feel like a long shot and will probably go with Mark Vientos at DH or use the spot to provide semi-rests for stars,” he said.

That can change as the market moves, but it’s probably safe to assume the Mets won’t make a big splash for the lineup ahead of Opening Day.

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