Former NL MVP Joey Votto says he has agreed to a minor league contract with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays.

The 40-year-old first baseman became a free agent last fall after the end of a $251.5 million, 12-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, his only team over 17 major league seasons.

“I am excited about the opportunity to work my way back to the Major Leagues. It’s even sweeter to attempt this while wearing the uniform of my hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays,” Votto wrote Friday on X.

There was no immediate announcement by the team.

Votto hit .202 with 14 homers and 38 RBI in 65 games last year. He didn’t play his first game until June 19, 10 months to the day after surgery on his left biceps and rotator cuff.

A six-time All-Star and the 2010 NL MVP, Votto has a .294 average with 356 homers, 1,144 RBI and a .409 on-base percentage in 2,056 games.

Cincinnati declined his $20 million option for 2024.

BRAVES: Chris Sale says his time with the Boston Red Sox was a “double-edged” sword. He helped Boston win a World Series – and is proud of that. It’s what came after that he regrets.

The former Red Sox ace talked to ESPN this week about his mindset after being traded to the Atlanta Braves this offseason. The 35-year-old said that he regrets not living up to expectations after signing a five-year, $145 million contract extension to stay in Boston after the 2018 season.

“It’s a double-edged sword for me,” Sale said to ESPN. “The whole reason I got traded (to Boston) was to help them win a World Series. And I feel satisfied in doing that. It’s just obviously what happened after that. That’s just one of the bigger regrets in my life. It’ll always be. They made a commitment to me, and I didn’t live up for that. We made a deal: ‘We’re going to give you this because you’ve done this and you’re going to continue to do that.’ Well, I didn’t hold up my end.”

In 2018, Sale was riding high as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’d made his seventh straight All-Star team and recorded the final out of the 2018 World Series – getting Los Angeles Dodgers star Manny Machado to drop to a knee on the final strikeout.

However, Sale struggled with the Red Sox after signing his extension. The following year he posted a career-worst 4.40 ERA before he was shut down with elbow issues. Initially, it was believed that Sale could avoid surgery, however, he wound up having Tommy John surgery in 2020.

Injuries continued to plague Sale with the Red Sox. In 2022, he suffered a stress fracture during spring training. Then when he finally made it back to the majors, he was shut down again days later after a line drive fractured his finger. He landed on the 60-day injured list as well due to shoulder discomfort.

The Red Sox traded away Sale in December in exchange for infielder Vaughn Grissom – with the Braves picking up a chunk of the pitcher’s hefty salary along the way.

DODGERS: Mookie Betts is already switching spots in the infield for Los Angeles, moving to shortstop from second base.

Los Angeles planned for the six-time Gold Glove and seven-time All-Star outfielder to be the regular second baseman but shifted him to shortstop for Friday night’s spring training game against Cincinnati. Manager Dave Roberts called the switch, 12 days before the opener, “permanent, for now.”

Expected shortstop Gavin Lux has struggled in the field, primarily with short-hop throws to first base. The Dodgers moved the 26-year-old back to second base, the position where he made 153 starts over four years. Given a chance to be the Dodgers shortstop last year, Lux tore his right ACL while running the bases in a Feb. 27 spring training game and had season-ending surgery on March 7.

REDS: Noelvi Marté, a 22-year-old infielder who is the Cincinnati Reds’ top prospect, was suspended for the first 80 games of the season following a positive test under Major League Baseball’s drug program.

Marté tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone, triggering the first suspension under the big league program since Milwaukee right-hander J.C. Mejía was banned for 162 games on Sept. 20 for a positive test for Stanozolol. Mejía’s suspension was his second under the program.

Marté was expected to be the Reds’ starting third baseman this season, joining Cincinnati’s core of young players that includes Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

BRAVES: Atlanta reassigned Ken Giles to its minor league camp, ending the former closer’s bid to make the Opening Day roster.

Giles, who has 115 career saves over stints with Philadelphia, Houston and Toronto, agreed to a non-roster deal with the Braves in hopes of getting his injury plagued career back on track.

The 33-year-old right-hander has made only nine appearances in the majors since 2019.

RANGERS: Manager Bruce Bochy said Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is dealing with a right oblique strain. The initial timeline for recovery is three to four weeks, and the March 28 opener is less than three weeks away. Lowe, who avoided arbitration with a $7.5 million deal, has played in all but 11 games for the Rangers over the past three seasons.

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