Padres acquire Luke Voit from Yankees for pitching prospect Justin Lange

The Padres have acquired first baseman/DH Luke Voit from the Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Justin Lange, a first-round pick in 2020.

Voit, 31, was a late bloomer, and he didn’t fully break out until his hometown Cardinals traded him to the Yankees in late 2018. He was a real weapon at the plate over three-plus seasons in New York, though, hitting .271/.363/.520 with 68 homers. He was at his best during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, posting a .948 OPS and leading the majors with 22 home runs.

Injuries and a first-half slump held Voit back in 2021, and the Yankees decided to trade for Anthony Rizzo prior to the deadline, displacing Voit. While Voit had an .833 OPS with eight homers in 119 plate appearances after the All-Star break, the Yankees clearly felt that they needed a bigger name at first base moving forward and brought Rizzo back on a two-year deal earlier this week, putting Voit’s future in New York in doubt.

Now the right-handed hitting slugger get a chance to be the primary DH in San Diego and should get some starts at first base against left-handed pitchers.

Lange, 20, was ranked as the Padres’ No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He struggled mightily to prevent runs in his first professional season, posting a 6.95 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP, 29 strikeouts, and 15 walks in 22 innings for the Padres’ Arizona Complex League team.