Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto says he signed with his hometown team because he isn't ready to walk away from baseball.
"I don't want to let go," Votto said Sunday, according to The Athletic's Jayson Stark.
"And I still feel like I have ability. The last couple of years I was not as healthy as I would have liked to have been."
The 40-year-old inked a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Friday after spending the previous 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, earning an NL MVP and six All-Star nods during his tenure with the club.
Votto slashed .202/.314/.433 with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs in 65 games last season before the Reds declined his 2024 contract option in November. The move led to Votto contacting Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins about a non-roster invite to spring training, according to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling.
Minor league contract signed. 😃
— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) March 10, 2024
It’s official, I’m a little Blue Jay now. pic.twitter.com/DOPH7XWNrc
Votto is competing for a bench spot with other non-roster veterans like Daniel Vogelbach and Eduardo Escobar. However, he said he doesn't want anything handed to him by the Blue Jays due to his resume.
"I'm on a minor-league contract ... so not only is that my attitude, but that's the reality of the scenario. So the idea that I'm going to come in and presume anything is a disconnect from reality," he said, according to Sportnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
Describing himself as a minor-league player who’s trying to make a team, Joey Votto says he’s excited for the chance to make the Blue Jays. He’s willing to go to the minors & work his way up but sounds confident he can still do a lot of damage. “I may stink (but) I doubt it”
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 10, 2024
Votto owns a lifetime .294/.409/.511 slash line with 356 homers and 1,144 RBIs in 2,056 career games and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Canadian baseball players.
