Joey Votto's 2024 plan likely prevented proper goodbye to Reds fans

Joey Votto is officially off the market. After months of lingering as a first-time free agent, the Cincinnati Reds icon agreed to a non-roster deal with his hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Congrats to Joey. An overwhelming majority of Reds fans want to see him end his career with a bang, and are happy to see him return home to close out, what many feel, will eventually end with an invite to Cooperstown. Votto spent 17 seasons with the Reds, but the team declined his $20 million club-option for the 2024 season.

But for those Reds fans who were hoping to see Votto make a return to Cincinnati, albeit in another uniform, that won't be in the cards if Votto remains with the Blue Jays organization throughout the 2024 season. The Blue Jays will not visit Great American Ball Park during the upcoming season.

Joey Votto's 2024 plan likely prevented proper goodbye to Reds fans

While the Reds do play the Blue Jays in 2024, it'll be a road trip north of border to the Rogers Centre in August. Cincinnati will go to Toronto for a three-game series on August 19-22, 2024. But the Blue Jays will not reciprocate with a trip back to the Reds' home ballpark.

Major League Baseball installed a balanced schedule in 2023. The new scheduling format allowed all 30 teams to play each other over the course of the season. There was a reduction in the number of division games from 76 to 52. Though there was an uptick in interleague games from 20 to 46, the Reds only play a series against their natural rivals from the American League (Cleveland Guardians) more than once.

Sorry, Reds fans. For those of you hoping to make one more trip out to the ballpark to see the greatest Reds player of his generation, you're going to have to wait until Votto's induction into the Reds Hall of Fame (which shouldn't take very long).

But first things first, Votto has got his work cut out just to make it back to the big leagues. The former MVP told C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (subscription required) that he expects to begin the year in the minor leagues. Votto only played in only 65 games last season and hit just .202/.214/.433 with 14 home runs and 38 RBI. Votto is trying to show that he's not done yet, but he'll have to prove it.

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