Chicago Cubs: Luke Voit makes for an underappreciated trade target

Growing up, Nick Swisher was always one of my favorite players to watch. Maybe it was the fact that he slung such a ridiculous amount of chaw in his lip that he is listed on two separate top lists: the most ridiculous mouth wads in baseball history and baseball’s most obvious “dippers.” Or maybe it is because of the swag factor. I used to call him “Swaggy P” before Nick Young became a thing.

I bring this up regarding the current “other” first baseman of the New York Yankees, Luke Voit, because he has a lot of the same tendencies, or, at least the look, of who ‘Swish’ used to be. I mean, look at this picture above. Voit oozes confidence.

It makes me think about the ugly girlfriend comments in ‘Moneyball’ and how that affects performance. But, on the other hand, Swisher carried a career 114 wRC+, so he was doing something right.

Voit oozes confidence, sure, but he also carries a humbleness about him and a way to find that inner child in knowing that he is good at a kids game and gets paid a lot of money to do precisely that thing. He’s also about to turn 31, and while that may seem like a downturn toward an acquisition, Voit has been in the big leagues since 2017, which is five years, or four and some change in counting the 2020 season.

Chicago Cubs: Finding that swag and passion at a position of need

One of the things that helped make the Cubs the Cubs over the past five seasons were personalities who wore their hearts on their sleeves. An eclectic group of Javier Báez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo sure brought its level of swag and passion and, ultimately, fun to the game.

Voit carries that same level of intensity on many levels and wants to perform no matter the environment or uniform. He’s talked about his desire to grow as a person within the game when asked back in March of this year. His drive towards success is unmatched to many at the stage where age meets arc. Voit also carries such a “clubhouse guy” vibe, which the Cubs need badly heading into 2022.

Voit had a “down” season in 2021 despite posting a 111 wRC+ along with a career-high 51.8 percent hard-hit rate. In addition, his knee issues became a big challenge for providing any level of consistency as he had begun this past season on the injured list and ended it the same way. Still, he could provide a nice veteran bridge to the missing first base piece of the puzzle for the Cubs and most likely would not warrant a considerable return.

Voit is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025, and that would give the Chicago Cubs a few seasons at the very least to allow further development from the system guys or find a longer-term option. However that may look. The hot stove is hibernating, and hopefully, behind the scenes, the front office is still making some decisions on some things. Could Luke Voit be amongst them?