Joey Votto receiving 'some degree of interest' to be this team's designated hitter

The free agent market, as a whole, has been at a standstill for what seems like weeks. Shohei Ohtani caused a pause in free agency, and now Yoshinobu Yamamoto is gumming up the works.

Teams are waiting to see where some of the top players in this year's free agent class land before deciding how to spend their money.

While two former MVPs, Ohtani and Cody Bellinger, have been the talk of the offseason, there's another former MVP on the free agent market as well. Former Cincinnati Reds great Joey Votto has yet to find a landing spot this winter, but he's drawing some interest this winter.

Former Reds 1B Joey Votto receiving 'some degree of interest' from Blue Jays

According to Ben Nicolson-Smith of SportsNet, Joey Votto's hometown Toronto Blue Jays have shown some degree of interest in signing the free agent slugger to be the team's designated hitter heading into the 2024 season.

Votto, however, is not the only player on the Blue Jays' radar. The report cites Rhys Hoskins, J.D. Martinez, Joc Pederson, and Justin Turner as well. Toronto seems poised to add at least one more bat this season.

In addition to the former Cincinnati Reds star, the Toronto Blue Jays have also been linked to current Reds second baseman Jonathan India. While president of baseball operations Nick Krall has continually refuted reports about India's availability this winter, a trade seems very possible.

The Reds parted ways with Joey Votto earlier this offseason. After spending his entire career in Cincinnati, the Reds decided to decline Votto's $20-million club-option for the 2024 season.

While neither the Reds nor Votto have closed the door on a potential reunion heading into next season, Cincinnati's three-year agreement with Jeimer Candelario makes it unlikely that the former NL MVP will return to the Queen City in 2024.

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