The Toronto Blue Jays are bringing a Canadian legend home. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Jays have reached an agreement with longtime Reds first baseman Joey Votto. The deal is as a non-roster invitee, meaning that Votto will be a part of Toronto’s spring training roster but isn’t contractually assured of anything after the end of camp.
Votto himself confirmed the news on social media, saying that he was grateful for the chance to continue his storied career with his hometown team.
I am excited about the opportunity to work my way back to the Major Leagues. It’s even sweeter to attempt this while wearing the uniform of my hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays. https://t.co/s7xEFLKe8V
— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) March 8, 2024
Votto, 40, was born in Toronto and attended high school at Richview Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke. He was drafted out of Richview in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, the organization with which he’d spend the next two decades. Votto became a star in Cincy, hitting a career .294/.409/.511 with 356 homers and winning NL MVP honors in 2010. But Father Time comes for everyone, and after posting a .202 average and a 99 OPS+ in 65 games last season, Votto and the Reds went their separate ways.
Votto insisted that he was interesting in continuing his career, but the market was unsurprisingly chilly for a 40-something first baseman who last put together an above-replacement season in 2021. But Votto still has some pop in his bat, especially against righty pitching, and he is a potential fit for a Blue Jays lineup that’s sorely lacking lefty power after losing Brandon Belt to free agency. If Votto did make the Opening Day roster, he’d serve as a lefty compliment at DH and first base to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Justin Turner.
It’s possible that, at this point, Votto simply doesn’t have it anymore. But it costs the Jays nothing to try, and it makes sense both from a roster and a PR perspective.
