Toronto Blue Jays sign Canadian star Joey Votto to minor-league contract
Votto will compete for a spot on the team after 17 seasons in Cincinnati.
Joey Votto announced on Friday that he has signed a minor-league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, bringing the Canadian future Hall of Fame first-baseman back to Canada with a chance to make the MLB roster ahead of the 2024 season.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work my way back to the Major Leagues,” the Etobicoke, Ontario native posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). “It’s even sweeter to attempt this while wearing the uniform of my hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays.”
Votto, who turned 40 in September, spent the past 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, where he established himself as one of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars. He was a six-time All-Star with the Reds, winning the National League’s MVP award in 2010 in addition to the Hank Aaron Award as the league’s top hitter, and the next season won the 2011 Gold Glove Award as the NL’s best defensive first-baseman.
He is also a two-time winner of the Northern Star Award as Canada’s top athlete, winning in 2010 and 2017.
During his time with the Reds, Votto played 2,056 games, racking up 2,135 hits, 356 home runs and 1,144 RBIs. He is just 25 hits behind Hall of Famer Larry Walker for the most by a Canadian player.
Votto represented Canada at the 2009 and 2013 editions of the World Baseball Classic, including hitting a home run at the Rogers Centre against the United States in 2009.
A shoulder injury sidelined Votto for 10 months between August 2022 and June 2023, limiting him to just 156 games over the past two seasons. In November, the Reds declined the one-year, $20 million contract option for 2024, making him a free agent.
He wanted to stay with the Reds, but there wasn’t a spot for him in Cincinnati, and he had to explore new options.
“Early in the offseason, I wanted to sign a similar deal with the Reds to finish my career in one uniform,” Votto said in an interview with The Athletic.
He reportedly had offers from other Major League Baseball teams but signed for the Blue Jays in the end, a few days after a cryptic tweet where he simply said “missing ball” on Tuesday. Some Blue Jays fans have wanted one of Canada’s greatest-ever players to play for Canada’s team for a long time, and the feeling seems to be mutual for Votto now that he has the opportunity to play at the stadium he grew up going to.
He will have to make the team out of Spring Training first. Votto will likely be competing with Daniel Vogelbach for one spot on the Jays’ bench, with the team only expected to carry one left-handed first baseman/designated hitter on their bench — at least to start the season.
It seems unlikely that the Jays would have invited Votto into camp if they didn’t think he had a shot at the Major Leagues, however, with a decision to come in the next few weeks before their season starts on March 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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