It’s officially official: the Toronto Blue Jays have signed first baseman Joey Votto to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Many people believe Votto, who is 40 years old, is going to Toronto (where he was born in 1983) to retire.
However, he is going there with much more in mind.
He wants to be relevant on a contender.
He wants to prove he can still hit MLB pitching.
Simply put: he just wants to play baseball after doing it with the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 to 2023.
The Reds were set at first base, so they didn’t pursue Votto.
Now, Votto will have to earn his roster spot in camp, and he doesn’t have the advantage of having worked with the team prior to the moment he signed.
Still, he is determined to make every second count.
Blue Jays insider Keegan Mathieson posted a short video of the Reds legend taking some batting practice.
Here’s Joey Votto taking BP this morning at the #BlueJays complex: pic.twitter.com/MHPWketeu8
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 11, 2024
If he manages to get his timing back relatively quickly, Votto might have a role in Toronto.
There is a chance he isn’t quite game-ready when camp breaks.
In that case, he could have a short stint in Triple-A against quality, hungry pitchers as a way to extend his spring training.
Votto had a .747 OPS last year with 14 home runs in just 65 games: the power is still there.
It’s a matter of consistently showing it in games.
If he manages to do that, even if it takes a little while for him to get going, he can be important to the Blue Jays.
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