Yankees Brian Cashman will continue to surprise us at the trade deadline

Luke Voit

On July 28, 2018, Cashman sent relievers Chase Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos to the Cardinals for first baseman Luke Voit and international signing bonus pool money. Not much was known about the young St. Louis native, as Voit only had two hits, playing in 11 games during the 2018 season. At the same time, he was hitting .299 with nine home runs and an OPS of .891 in 67 games down at Triple-A.

Shreve was the most notable proven big-leaguer in this deal, as the former Yankee left-hander was emotional during his final press conference in the Bronx, stating that he knew a move had to be made.

"“I knew we had to make a move. I just didn’t know what it was going to be. I had prepared myself for it,” Shreve explained. “I love it here. These are my friends. I’ve been here four years. It’s going to suck to leave.”"

In 39 outings, Schreve posted an ERA of 4.14 in 37 innings during his 2018 campaign in the Bronx, finishing his time in pinstripes strong, by not allowing a run in his final five appearances.

This was a move, at the time, that had many Yankee fans scratching their heads, as the club still had high hopes for highly-touted first baseman Greg Bird, who had the potential to be a big-time star in the Bronx; however, has been met with injury time in and time again.

Voit would make his Yankee debut at Fenway Park on August 2, 2019, as the Yanks fell to a red-hot Red Sox by a final score of 15-7. Steve Pearce tagged Yankee pitching for three long balls over the Green Monster, en route to a four-game series sweep over the Bombers, running away with the American League East in the process.

Voit’s bat would go unnoticed in his opening series, but would soon display his brute strength when the Yankees paid a visit to Camden Yards in late August, as he would club three home runs in three days, as the Yankees sweet Baltimore.

It would then become apparent that Voit’s confidence at the plate was only getting stronger, as the slugger would end the season with a .333 batting average, 14 home runs and 33 runs RBIs — playing just six weeks in pinstripes.

In the first half of 2019, Voit has picked up right where he left off, slugging 17 home runs, while slashing .280/.393/.509, in the midst of serving as the cleanup hitter in a lineup that has Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez and Edwin Encarnacion in the meat of the order.

Voit currently is sidelined with an abdominal strain that has him on the 10-Day IL, but the Yankees are more than confident that the big man will be able to pick up right where he left off, as Voit went 4-for-4 with three doubles before exiting London’s Game 1 versus the Sox.