One of the greatest Canadian players in MLB history, Joey Votto, is about to embark on his 17th season with the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati GM Nick Krall told Jim Bowden of The Athletic that he would consider dealing the Toronto native to his hometown Blue Jays should Votto ask and the Reds find themselves out of playoff contention.

In 2002, The Reds selected Votto out of high school in the second round with the 44th overall selection of the 2002 MLB draft. Since he made his MLB debut in 2007, he has spent the entirety of his career with the team, sitting second all-time in home runs and total bases.

Votto is a six-time All-Star and the third Canadian to ever win the Most Valuable Player award (2010), following in the footsteps of HOF Larry Walker (1997) and Justin Morneau (2006).

In 91 games last season, Votto batted .205 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs, with an OPS of .689. Votto’s .926 career OPS is 48th all-time and third among active players behind Mike Trout (1.002) and Aaron Judge (.977).

The Blue Jays are tight for roster space to start the season after making three major offseason acquisitions of Kevin Kiermaier, Brandon Belt, and Dalton Varsho. But if Votto is playing well and the Blue Jays need a veteran presence to bolster their offense off the bench, he could present himself as a decent late-season acquisition.

Belt, who is five years younger than Votto, plays the same position and sliced similar numbers to him last season (.213 avg, eight home runs, and 23 RBIs across 254 ABs. For Votto to be a starter in the Blue Jays lineup, he would likely be in the DH position, something the Jays have abundant depth in with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Belt, and Alejandro Kirk.

If one of these three men goes down, I think it’s likely management could pursue an offensive one-or-two at-bat option like Votto late in the season.

(Let us know what you think in the comments below).