Yankees: 3 Luke Voit trades Brian Cashman has to explore

The Yankees (sigh) are going to probably explore trading Luke Voit this winter, coming off a career year.

New York Yankees fans don’t want to hear about it, and we don’t want to write about it, but it’s trending, we’re sad, and so here we are! We’ve arrived at this moment: Do the Yankees need to consider trading Luke Voit to maximize his value and open up the infield log jam a little bit if DJ LeMahieu returns?

In short, according to our analysis … no. There’s no guarantee that a slugging first baseman nets you more in trade than what Voit provides by being in the lineup. 30-40+ homers, endless intangibles, constant improvement. Also, not for nothing, but maybe LeMahieu doesn’t want to permanently play first base? Perhaps he wouldn’t sign with a team that wanted him to do such a thing? But we digress.

Regardless of loyalty, Brian Cashman will at least be forced to examine Voit’s value across the league. These teams, constantly in need of the pop he can provide, might consider changing the Yankees’ everyday lineup by striking a deal here.

3. Voit to the Nationals

The Yankees and Nationals could talk shop on a Luke Voit trade.

One season removed from winning one of the most thrilling modern World Series, the Nationals were forced to roll with the ridiculously jacked Eric Thames as their slugging first baseman, with Ryan Zimmerman on the shelf due to an opt out. Zimmerman may be retiring in earnest; his presence isn’t guaranteed moving forward, either. Thames is headed for free agency.

So maybe there’s a fit here, especially with the Universal DH arriving?

The Yankees could always use young pitching, and wouldn’t you believe it? Every single damn one of the Nationals’ top 10 prospects are pitchers. Maybe Voit for No. 3 prospect Wil Crowe and No. 9 lefty Seth Romero, who’s been a bit of trouble throughout his career and could benefit from a change of scenery?

The ceiling for a Voit trade isn’t massive, but two top-10 arms could be doable in the right situation.

2. Voit to the Brewers

The Yankees could certainly help the Brewers out with their first base situation.

Luke Voit, or Ryon Healy? Luke Voit, or beefy stopgap Dan Vogelbach? If you’re willing to go with Vogey in the short-term, you should definitely be willing to entertain Voit, an upgraded version of the exact same package, in the long-term.

Plus, you’d get to taunt the Cardinals every year, who gave Voit up for a fungible bullpen arm. Win-win!

Perhaps lefty Aaron Ashby (No. 6) and MLB-ready OF Corey Ray (No. 10) could be worked out in exchange? A Voit trade is tough, because while he was the best slugger in the American League this year (upper echelon, look it up), it could be difficult to pry multiple top-end prospects away for a bat-first first baseman.

Depends on how close the team believes they are to contention, though, and also how weak the perceived prospect pool is.

The Brewers clearly don’t think they’re far off (heck, they had just as strong a regular season as the Astros and made their way into the October fray!), and don’t have a particularly strong farm system. Maybe the Yankees can swipe someone they believe to be the next Voit here.