Does Luke Voit’s IG picture change mean anything for Yankees?

The next time we see Luke Voit, will he be wearing a New York Yankees uniform?

It seemed utterly impossible when 2021 wrapped (or, let’s face it, when 2021 hit, like, early September), but Voit is currently atop the Yankees’ first base depth chart amid the ongoing MLB lockout, and he certainly won’t have a new home until March at the earliest.

Is there … any chance Voit sticks around? Is there … any chance he’d outplay Anthony Rizzo in Year 1 of a three-year deal next season?

We’d still lean “no” and “yes” on that pair of questions; even though there’s plenty of bounce back potential in Voit’s boomstick, the Yankees seemed to make their decision back in midsummer. For the first time in a long time, they value defense.

That’d mean that we’re now approaching that awkward time of year when the two sides start to disassociate from one another. Thanks to lockout rules, the Yankees already got a head start and grayed out Voit’s picture on their website. You’d think you might see Voit doing the same thing in the weeks to come — changing his profile picture to a glamour shot of him and his family, removing “Yankees” from his bio, etc.

Instead, he’s just rebranded … with an all-new professional photo of him wearing a Yankees uniform. Something? Nothing? A curiosity?

Is Luke Voit going to return to the Yankees?

Now, it doesn’t take a super sleuth to notice that A) it’s the Field of Dreams promo photo, evident from the corn at the bottom of the frame, and B) Voit’s bio identifies him as a St. Louis kid and not as a Yankees first baseman.

Odds are, ahem, quite high that Voit just saw a photo he liked, didn’t think much of the association, and still plans to move on this offseason — and he’ll take some marketing dollars, while we’re at it. Just email Patrick.

Gun to our head, we’ll continue to predict Matt Olson will eventually find himself in pinstripes, while Voit will be shipped to the Milwaukee Brewers. Olson is the highest-profile move the Yankees can make outside of the shortstop race, and it still feels more likely than not that they don’t exit this offseason with either Carlos Correa or Trevor Story. They need to make a splash, though, and Olson-Isiah Kiner-Falefa is more impressive than Rizzo/IKF.

As for the Crew and Voit, there’s been interest on Milwaukee’s end in the recent past. New York selling low would sting, but they also don’t have much choice here with 2020’s home run champ, who’s spending the offseason trying to regain his form with intense workouts.

All in all, Voit’s profile picture is much ado about nothing, though during the lockout, it’s ALL we’ve got and that’s NOT an exaggeration.

We wish Voit as DH/Stanton as LF/Gallo as CF could gain more legs, but it looks like Voit at the gym is the only one making gains in that department.

Yankees: 5 possible trade candidates with hot stove nearing

On Wednesday, 160 players officially became free agents. The offseason is here. The New York Yankees have plenty of work to do. Are trades coming?