After a 17-year tenure with the Cincinnati Reds, the moment many Blue Jays fans (and Canadians) have all been waiting for has come. Arguably the greatest Canadian baseball player of all time, Joey Votto, has signed a MiLB deal with his childhood team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The deal is for 1-year, $2 million with an extra $2 million in incentives, contingent on Votto getting to the MLB level in 2024. While this is only a Minor League deal that includes a Spring Training invite, Votto will have an opportunity to make Toronto’s Opening Day roster and have a major impact on the 2024 campaign.
Barriers to Making the 26-Man Roster
One thing that concerns many Blue Jays fans is his age. The left-handed slugger is entering his age-40 season with the possibility of major regression. In the case Votto makes the team, he would likely be on the bench, given that superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. holds the 1B spot and Justin Turner is expected to play majority of the time at DH. It won’t be easy for Votto to crack the 26-man roster as well due to Daniel Vogelbach‘s early emergence in Spring Training. If the opportunity comes, however, Votto would be a great veteran clubhouse presence. In 285 games since the start of 2021, Votto has a .232/.344/.471 slash line with a 115 ops+ and has hit 61 home runs. Votto was derailed by injuries in the past two seasons, minimizing his excellent performance in his last full season of 2021.
This Signing Means Much More Than Baseball
Votto has more of an impact than just his bat. Joey Votto became one of 3 Canadians (Justin Morneau, 2006, and Freddie Freeman, 2020) to win the MVP award after his victory in 2010. Votto, an Ontario native, grew up with the Blue Jays as his hometown team and embraces his Canadian heritage rather often. Votto has played for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic and performed rather well. If the veteran can crack the Toronto Blue Jays roster, he will mean much more to the city of Toronto than just his offensive ability.