The Milwaukee Brewers organization and their fans have seen Joey Votto in a Cincinnati Reds uniform for the last 17 years. In 2024 he will be playing elsewhere for the first time in his career and he reportedly is looking to sign with a team that will give him regular playing time.
According to Bob Nightengale three teams are interested in signing 40 year old Joey Votto to a one year contract for the 2024 season. He did not confirm which teams were pursuing him, but he did mention that the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers are good fits.
Is former Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto a good fit for the Milwaukee Brewers?
As the Brewers roster stands today first base is one position that they could be looking to add depth to. Left-handed hitting Jake Bauers is currently on top of the depth chart and Owen Miller is second. Milwaukee has been linked several times to free agent Carlos Santana, but it’s possible that they look at other options such as Joey Votto.
Related: 1 household Milwaukee Brewers name endorses the club to pursue Joey Votto.
If GM Matt Arnold was to consider adding Votto he would make a good fit in that he is an experienced player, is a clubhouse leader, and he still has the ability to hit for good and be a run producer. After sitting out the first several months of the 2023 season recovering from shoulder surgery he ended up belting 14 home runs in just 65 games. Additionally just two seasons ago he had a 36 home run and 99 RBI season.
Defensively Votto’s best days may be behind him, but he could be utilized as a designated hitter as well. Milwaukee currently does not have one specific player dedicated to that position and given his track record of success against both right and left-handed pitchers there is a path to regular playing time if he would split time between first base and designated hitter.
With spring training a little over one month away it’s possible that Votto ends up signing a club friendly deal for the 2024 season. A deal at this juncture should be less than $5 million initially, but it is possible that he may want some incentive based escalators included.
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