Social media campaign helps Votto land spring invite to Blue Jays

Not ready to retire the Etobicoke native vying for Jays' 26th man role

Out of sight, out-of-his mind. That seemed to be the vibe a stressed-out 40-year-old Joey Votto had put out there via his intensely personal, clearly tongue-in-cheek social media campaign seeking a job, as MLB spring training camps unfolded without him.

Mission accomplished for the intensely human and trans-Canada-popular Etobicoke native as the Blue Jays have now stepped up to the plate and answered the call allowing Votto the welcomed chance to show what he’s still got in the next three weeks and, perhaps, even into the first 10 games of the season.   

Votto obviously feels he has something left in the tank, beyond perfecting the Queen’s Gambit at his favourite downtown Toronto chess club. The Richview Collegiate grad had been drafted in the second round of the 2002 amateur draft by the Reds, even though they had no Canadian scout at the time. He was a bad catcher with a great bat. Votto had been to minor and major league spring camps for 21 straight years, until this spring. After the Reds turned down his $20-million option, he found himself team-less, but not homeless. It cost the Reds a $7-million buyout to get him to leave.   

Baseball fans across North America, and especially in his home town, had been following with interest, delight and hope his creative social media posts, that served as periodic reminders that he is still alive and hitting. His personality is unique and his humour dry. There was the hilarious inference on (Twitter) that he would discontinue returning his shopping carts to their parking-lot homes if not signed and then there was the perfect re-do of a famous Keanu Reeves sad-and-lonely park-bench-meme down to one pant leg up and one down over his high-top boots.

But, on Friday, the borderline Hall-of-Famer fist-pumped his joy on X revealing that he had reached agreement with the Blue Jays and would be reporting to camp as a non-roster player as soon as he passed his physical. That’s part of the process for everyone. Votto now has a chance to win a job on the bench and a role in the community. What took so long? This is where he should have been all along.

Nothing is guaranteed. It could come down to mano-a-mano for 26^th man on the roster, contested between Votto, 40, the popular Etobicoke native who can be viewed in a photo on The Toronto Star’s 2001, GTA High School all-star team, or Daniel Vogelbach, 31, a veteran of 5-plus MLB seasons, who has been with five different organizations the past four seasons. Vogelbach was recently signed as a minor-league free agent potentially for that exact role of DH/1B and has the same agency as soon-to-be free-agent Danny Jansen. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi has reported that Votto will earn $2-million, plus incentives if he is on the major-league team, the exact terms as Vogelbach … meaning there is room only for one, not both.

Votto and Vogelbach both hit left, neither can be counted on for other than the occasional start at first-base and are, at-best, fringe players on a four-man bench. Vogelbach has superior “today” on-field credentials and would be preferred by the Jays’ front-office analytics team. Votto brings different assets that are more valuable for a 26^th man role that does not move the WAR needle. His wins are elsewhere.

The Jays have surely failed to conjure up enough off-season enthusiasm that they desperately needed in order to sell the new, high-priced inventory of private-club memberships and jacked-up seat prices behind and below home plate at Rogers Centre.

Votto, coming off a couple of injury-obstructed seasons in 2022-23 that, combined with age, resulted in his worst offensive seasons ever, has intangibles that a 26th man can use to separate himself from competition for that last-man-sitting role. He is a presence in the clubhouse and the dugout, joining Justin Turner, Bo Bichette and George Springer as conscience and leader-by-example. If he has anything at all left in the tank, he will be an asset as an occasional DH vs. righthanders and for random first-base starts for a nicked-up, or resting, Vlad Guerrero Jr. Plus, there is his generous and sincere interactions with fans, especially younger ones, that made him a role model and sporting hero in Cincinnati. Good move by the Jays.

How much did Votto want to play? Observationally, I currently am third-base coach for the Oakville Senior A’s in the Central Ontario (COBA) regional loop. Votto grew up playing ball at Connorvale Park (near 427 and QEW) and the rumour swirled this winter that if push came to shove, Joey was ready to play for Etobicoke Senior Rangers with his buddies from back-in-the-day, friends like second-baseman Mark Capone, also pictured in that long-ago Toronto Star GTA all-star team. Colour us A’s among those glad Votto is getting a chance back in the majors with the Jays.