Former NL MVP Joey Votto has been a Cincinnati Red for his entire 10-season MLB career. But was he actually close to becoming a Toronto Blue Jay last season?
According to a report by Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star on Monday, the Blue Jays and the Reds “were beginning serious discussions” at last year’s trade deadline about a Votto trade. However, talks were said to have “never gained momentum” as Toronto pursued (and pulled off) deals for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price instead.
The 32-year-old Votto was actually born in Toronto and grew up in Etobicoke, an administrative district within the Toronto metropolitan area. Griffin also notes that Votto is under contract through 2023 and is still owed approximately $182 million guaranteed with a $7 million buyout for 2024, thanks to a 10-year, $225 million extension he signed with the Reds in 2012.
The Blue Jays didn’t (and still don’t) have many lefty bats outside of Michael Saunders and the switch-hitting Justin Smoak. With the Reds seemingly tearing down their core by trading away the likes of Jay Bruce, Aroldis Chapman, and Todd Frazier in just the last eight months alone, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the two sides pick Votto talks up again some time in the future. The four-time All-Star has already looked the part in the past after all.
H/T theScore
