Aaron Judge’s Luke Voit quote sums up what he meant to Yankees

For the New York Yankees to move forward to a steadier era, the team had to move on from 2020 AL home run leader Luke Voit after acquiring Anthony Rizzo.

But that doesn’t mean losing a piece of their “edge” feels good, a sentiment summed up by Aaron Judge in wake of Voit being dealt to the San Diego Padres on Friday afternoon in exchange for their No. 8 prospect, unpredictable righty Justin Lange.

Often during his tenure in pinstripes — especially during 2020 — Voit seemed to be the only Yankee willing to vocalize the disappointment most fans felt while watching their underperforming roster. While Aaron Boone mainly kept a straight face, Voit was typically the most outspoken player in the locker room, unafraid to call out a team that “sucked” and was desperate to figure things out.

While Josh Donaldson will hopefully embody the same “looking for a fight” edge, Judge admitted on Friday that things would look different this season as he sent the first baseman his well-wishes.

Though the writing was on the wall for his departure even before Rizzo returned, Judge summed up the city’s feelings well in his “thank you” to Voit.

Too often, the effort this team has provided on a daily basis has been imperceptible. Voit’s care factor, on the other hand, was always obvious.

Yankees will miss Luke Voit’s edge, per Aaron Judge

Perhaps Voit’s departure will be the “shot in the arm” the rest of this team needs to put their heads down and grind similarly?

Note the correct use of that phrase, Aaron.

Naturally, there’s also the flip side; some view the dangerous Voit as the “embodiment” of the Yankees’ “misguided” all-or-nothing philosophy.

Never mind that he posted OPS+ marks of 124 and 109 in his “full” seasons in the Bronx, as well as ridiculous 193 and 157 marks in his partial ones, of course.

The Bronx Bombers will miss Voit’s confidence and strong stick, but even the most diehard fans must admit he often felt out of place — but in all the right ways. He was Bostonian brash, but he was ours, and that’s the kind of attitude that stings to lose.

New York needed a shakeup this offseason in both behavior and athleticism, and ideally Brian Cashman has created the right mix instead of making things awkward and crafting new holes.

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