Luke Voit return may take Yankees out of mix for C.J. Cron Rockies trade

With Luke Voit returning to the New York Yankees lineup, could that take the Yankees out of contention for a trade with the Colorado Rockies for first baseman C.J. Cron?

As MLBTradeRumors.com pointed out in this article, first base has been a position of weakness for the Yankees this season. Just how bad has it been? From that article…

“Yankees who’ve been penciled into the first base position this year have combined for a miserable .176/.263/.285 slash in 267 plate appearances.”

That disappointing slash line includes contributions from Voit, who entered Tuesday’s action going just 8-for-44 (.182) at the plate with one homer and three RBI. He’s also been on the injured list twice already this season, including his most recent stint with a right oblique strain. However, after a minor league rehab stint, the Yankees activated him in time for Tuesday’s home game, where he will bat third against the Kansas City Royals.

After hitting a Major League-leading 22 homers during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Yankees still believe Voit is an “impact offensive player” for them. Does that mean the Yankees will give Voit a chance to recapture the power he displayed in 2020 before making any kind of trade for a first baseman?

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Here’s why a New York Yankees-Colorado Rockies trade involving C.J. Cron makes sense.

While it’s been said that the Yankees will not add a marquee player this offseason because of potential issues with luxury tax, that could bode well for the Yankees to work a deal with the Rockies for the 31-year-old Cron, who is hitting .417 with four homers over his past seven games. Additionally, Cron signed with the Rockies for $1 million for one year in the offseason and will reportedly receive a $500,000 one-time assignment bonus if he is traded.

Still, those numbers would fit into the Yankees’ plans, as would Cron’s power. He has nine home runs on the season (second on the Rockies in that category) while the five players who have seen time at first base this season for the Yankees (including former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu) have combined to hit 11.

Much like we discussed how a rumored Trevor Story trade to the Yankees may revolve around the play of Gleyber Torres, how Voit plays in his return to the New York lineup may determine if the Yankees talk about a trade for Cron with the Rockies.