Brewers sign 1B Luke Voit, OF Tyler Naquin to minor-league deals

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The Milwaukee Brewers signed first baseman Luke Voit and outfielder Tyler Naquin to minor-league deals, with invitations to spring training, the team announced Tuesday.

Brewers pitchers and catchers reported last week for spring training. They will start their game schedule Saturday in Phoenix.

Voit, 32, hit .226 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs in 135 games last season. He spent the first half of the season with the San Diego Padres. The Padres traded Voit to the Washington Nationals in August as part of the Juan Soto transaction.

He hit a league-high 22 home runs in 56 games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign for the New York Yankees. He also spent time with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Voit, who entered the league as a 22nd-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2013 MLB Draft, owns a career .254 average.

Naquin, 31, hit .229 with 11 home runs and 46 home runs in 105 games last season. He spent the first half of the season with the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds traded Naquin to the New York Mets in July. The veteran outfielder hit .270 with a career-high 19 home runs and 70 RBIs in 127 games in 2021 for the Reds.

Naquin entered the league as the No. 15 overall pick by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2012 MLB Draft. He owns a career .264 average.

The Brewers will host the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 2023 spring training debut Saturday at American Family Fields.