Votto signs non-roster invite deal with Blue Jays

DUNEDIN, FLA. -- Joey Votto is coming home.

One of the greatest Canadian players in baseball history has signed a non-roster deal with the Blue Jays, the club announced on Saturday. Votto will join the club at its spring facility to chase his 18th MLB season.

The deal will pay Votto $2 million if he’s in the Major Leagues, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, with another $2 million in incentives.

The former National League MVP and six-time All-Star who has a shot at the Hall of Fame when his playing days are done has spent his entire career with the Reds, who drafted him out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, Ontario, in 2002. That’s where Votto grew up, just west of downtown Toronto, and now he’ll have a shot at extending his career with Canada’s team.

“He’s had a tremendous career,” manager John Schneider said. “He has accolades that go on and on between his plate discipline, power and overall reputation as a competitor. That’s kind of what he’s brought to teams he has played on.”

It wasn’t clear whether Votto would land a deal this offseason, and earlier this week, the part-time comedian posted an image of himself on social media captioned “missing ball.”

The photo was a nod to the viral image of Keanu Reeves, who was raised in Toronto, only in Votto’s near-perfect recreation, a baseball bat leaned on the bench as he looked down to the ground, forlorn.

Underneath the Instagram post, Blue Jays legend Jose Bautista left a comment:

“Hometown team?”

Well, Votto is back, and the Blue Jays suddenly have their feel-good story of camp. What a Canadian moment for him, too, stealing headlines on the NHL’s trade deadline day, an unofficial holiday for some north of the border.

Votto wants this to be more than just a feel-good story, though. Appearing recently via zoom on an ESPN broadcast of a Spring Training game between the Braves and the Red Sox, Votto made it clear that he still had a burning desire to play, romanticizing the summer days ahead.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get back on a Major League field,” he said. “I just miss it. It’s the best game.”

Votto is a Canadian baseball icon and one of the best hitters of his generation, owning a career .294 average with a remarkable .409 on-base percentage. Now 40, Votto is coming off a pair of down years that have been slowed by injuries.

Over a combined 156 games, Votto’s hit just .204 with a .712 OPS, but he has continued to play the field at first base and feels he still has some more left in the tank.

When news of Votto’s signing broke Friday at TD Ballpark, 39-year-old Justin Turner stood at first base. That position obviously belongs to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but Votto will join a depth competition that includes Daniel Vogelbach and Spencer Horwitz, ranked as Toronto’s No. 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

On March 8, there isn’t much time for Votto to ramp up and face live pitching in Spring Training, but a veteran of 2,056 big league games should be able to adjust quicker than your average non-roster signing. Exactly what Votto has been doing to train on his own time will factor into this, too, which we should have a clearer picture of when he reports in the coming days.

“First and foremost, to see where he’s at, what he’s been doing, things like that,” Schneider said. “He probably has a good guy to lean on in Justin Turner, a decorated 39-year-old. It’s just trying to have him be part of the process and see where the first week or so lands us.

“Whenever you’re interested in a player, there’s obviously skill sets that you’re drawn to and his speak for themselves.”

There are still plenty of hurdles to clear before Votto is taking the field with the Blue Jays just miles (kilometers) from where he grew up. But for now, the Blue Jays just brought in one of the most decorated players in the sport for what could be one last crack, and there’s now no story in camp more fascinating than this one.