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DUNEDIN, Fla. – Last week, Joey Votto decided it was time to give Ross Atkins a call. The 40-year-old first baseman had waited long enough in free agency, and it was clear he wasn’t going back to the Cincinnati Reds or getting lucrative major-league offers elsewhere, so he wanted to sign with the Blue Jays.
Soon, there was a conversation about expectations – Votto says he has none – and he was on a plane the next day. Now, he gets the chance to prove to Blue Jays decision-makers that he’s deserving of a roster spot on his hometown team.
Speaking to Toronto-based media Sunday morning, Votto expressed excitement at the chance to play for the franchise he grew up cheering for, confidence that he can still hit elite pitching and – perhaps most interesting of all – a willingness to do whatever it takes to make it back to the majors, even if it means riding buses in the minor leagues.
“I’m grateful that I have an opportunity,” he said, wearing a Blue Jays spring training hat outside the team’s spring training clubhouse. “I get to once again move towards, for the second time in my professional career, (trying to) make it to the major leagues.
“And it excites me. It excites me to be in a hotel room in Florida, to take a shuttle or an Uber to the ballpark and be a minor-league player with an unknown number just trying my very best to make a team. It invigorates me. It’s what I feel I’ve been about, and it brings me great joy.”
A six-time all-star with an MVP to his name and 64.4 lifetime WAR, Votto’s one of the most accomplished players of his generation. Yet to hear him tell it, he’s a minor-league player with no guarantees of big-league playing time.
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“I’m on a minor league contract,” he said. “And I’m not on the major league roster, so not only is that my attitude, but that’s the reality of the scenario. And so the idea that I’m going to come in and presume anything is a disconnect from reality, but (also) just what I’m about, right? I just I want to work and I want to compete and I want to fit in. I want to get along with guys, I want to be liked and I want to represent myself, my family and my country well. And this is the perfect opportunity.”
Ideally, Votto would like to get into games soon, but manager John Schneider has yet to determine a final plan on that front. With two and a half weeks remaining before opening day, there’s limited time remaining to get fully ready.
For now, Votto’s wearing No. 37, the number Dave Stieb wore in Toronto. But this isn’t a Stieb tribute or even the number Votto would necessarily wear if he makes the Blue Jays’ roster; it’s simply what was available.
Ultimately, it’s what Votto does on the field that will determine how long he gets to keep wearing the Blue Jays uniform. There’s opportunity on a team that could use left-handed power off the bench, and surely the front office wouldn’t have signed Votto if there weren’t a real path to a chance in the big leagues.
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Step one was signing. Step two will be proving he still belongs.
“I feel like a boy,” he said. “I feel like a kid. I’m just excited to take this challenge on.”
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