The Angels are one of the clubs with interest in free agent Joey Votto, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
Votto, 40, is a free agent for the first time in his career after spending parts of 17 seasons with the Reds. His performance was excellent in many of those years but he’s coming off some recent struggles. He has been dealing with a significant shoulder injury that required surgery in 2022, with the effects lingering into 2023. He hit just .204/.317/.394 over those two seasons, production that translates to a wRC+ of 95, or 5% worse than league average.
But he has been among the best hitters in the game in the past and was in good form as recently as 2021. He hit 36 home runs that year and drew walks in 14.4% of his plate appearances. His .266/.375/.563 slash line during that season led to a wRC+ of 140, or 40% better than league average. He also received strong grades for his glovework at first base, helping him produce 3.8 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs and 3.7 WAR per the calculations of Baseball Reference.
Perhaps it may be asking too much for a club to expect Votto to get back to that kind of production as he is now 40 years old, but if he’s able to get beyond the shoulder issues and produce at a level beyond the past two seasons, he could still be a useful contributor. His hometown Blue Jays have also been connected to him in rumors this offseason but a return to Cincinnati seems to be off the table.
With only three weeks until pitchers and catcher report to Spring Training, the Angels have question marks both at first base and designated hitter. The DH spot has been utilized primarily by Shohei Ohtani in recent years, though he has now moved across town to the Dodgers. At first base, Nolan Schanuel was rushed up to the majors to take over the position last year. He was only just drafted in July and made a handful of minor league appearances before making his debut in the big leagues.
Remarkably, he managed to carry himself well despite the short track record of professional experience. In his first 132 plate appearances, he showed Votto-esque discipline, drawing walks at a 15.2% clip while striking out only 14.4% of the time. He only hit one home run, giving him a hunched batting line of .275/.402/.330, though that was still good for a wRC+ of 112. Despite that solid debut, Schanuel has just 51 games of professional experience and just 29 in the majors. For a club like the Angels with plans on contending this year, it’s a risk to be relying on him.
The club would be wise to get some insurance in case he experiences a swoon or the league figures out a way to attack him. Brandon Drury is on the roster and could play some first, but he also may be needed at second base or third base. Anthony Rendon is the on-paper option at the hot corner but he hasn’t played as many as 60 games in a season since 2019, meaning Drury may be needed over there. Miguel Sanó was recently added into the first base mix via minor league deal, though he sat out the 2023 season and had a rough injury-marred season the year before. Hunter Dozier was also signed to a minors pact but his only two above-average seasons at the plate were the juiced ball season of 2019 and the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Bolstering the first base mix makes plenty of sense, especially with the designated hitter spot open for extra at-bats in the event Schanuel is justifying a regular role. The first base market has recently started to move, with Sanó, Rhys Hoskins, Joey Gallo and Trey Mancini all signing in the past few days. Cody Bellinger is capable of playing some first base and still out there, though will be primarily considered an outfielder and is in a different stratosphere than the other available free agents.
Brandon Belt, Garrett Cooper and Carlos Santana are some of the other guys out there with Votto. Justin Turner isn’t likely to be counted on for everyday action in the field but can play the infield a bit while mostly DHing. The open market also features names like J.D. Martinez, Joc Pederson and Jorge Soler, who could be used as primary designated hitters with varying degrees of outfield playability. The Halos have been connected to big bats like Bellinger and Martinez in this offseason.
The Angels should have plenty of payroll space available, assuming they are willing to get close to the competitive balance tax line again, as they did last year. Roster Resource currently pegs their CBT number at $187MM, which is $50MM below this year’s base threshold of $237MM. Replacing an elite bat like Ohtani’s won’t be easy but they should have resources available to make upgrades to the current lineup in some form or another.
This is the ultimate Arte move. We have a kid who is only going to get better but he’ll pay big money for a guy who can only get worse.
Yeah, he’s the answer.
Yea he is! Ahahaha!
Na Na Na Na..Na Na Na Na…Hey Hey Hey!! Gooodddddbyyyeeee!!! Halo’s going for it!!!! WoooOoooooooo!!!!!!
Wouldn’t mind the Twins giving him a cheap one year contract.maybee split time at first with Kiriloff.
Man! I really hope he goes somewhere he has a chance to win.
That clown had plenty of chances to leave the Reds to a winner and the loser wouldn’t go. He’s a loser and will always be!!
The guy with 64.4 career WAR and a decent shot at the Hall of Fame? Christ what a stupid comment.
Call someone like Votto a clown after what he did for the Reds all his career? Get outta here you trash.
You absolutely know nothing about baseball if you think Votto did anything for the Reds other than take millions of dollars and not deliver. The trash is a loser to the core.
Now what did he not deliver? A World Series?? Sorry bud, but if you think he didn’t deliver anything to the team, then your baseball knowledge is minimal.
What did he deliver. He was overpaid for the majority of his career (Reds fault), he was a poor teammate and we never won with him. He is such a poor teammate the Reds don’t want him around this good young bunch of players. A quick ticket out of town is what he got
Back off Chop!!! He’s ours!!!
Trumbo,
Maybe Votto can pull an Albert Pujols and go on a tear one last time before retiring!
Acoss, Now THAT would be something!!!
So who do the angels get from the reds at the deadline?
At least they’re making some moves (bad or not). Beats being a Marlin fan.
I love that you are honoring Donnie Moore, but it’s still a super depressing reminder =/
The Marlins are investing in scouting, development, coaching, video, and nutrition.
I’d much rather have Arte do that than continue to sign guys approaching 40.
You just signed Mancini.
You’re off-season is complete.
Well maybe he could help with some power off of the bench
What the Angels should do is continue in repairing the bullpen and get a starting pitcher and maybe sign Justin Turner
Heavens knows the Orioles lost Turners phone number
Sounds like a plan to me, Lefty!
Good plan. I like Soler too at DH but it looks like they want to keep it open
Lefty_Orioles_Fan- Good post but just wanted to point out that They really should be done with the pen. If they can get Snell and Anderson off the bench they can contend for a wild card.
They probably just checked on his price, drury can slide to 1st if we get urshela or atleast spilt with Nolan and dh. Votto is like signing lamb last year a backwards move
Urshela?? I’ll take Fletch back please..
Man, Fletcher was on one of those banners out front not long ago. They might still have it!
Darn right he was!
I like fletcher trust me, but that ship has sailed, urshela can move around and hit 280. 15 hrs as far as a shortstop/3b option he makes the most sense. He’s better defensively than rengifo. As far as dh they have plenty of options to move around at that spot trout/ Rendon/ drury/ urshela.
Votto > Ohtani
You can bet this story was planted by the agent. It may or may not be true. An article comes out saying the Reds are moving on and, boom, a post saying the Angels are interested. I’m surprised Heyman didn’t also claim a “mystery team” is in the mix.
It would be a shame if he wasn’t a career Cincinnati Red. That being said I would take him on the Braves bench.
Yeah, it would be new to see him as a Reds lifer or go to a legitimate WS contender.
Yeah, he’s been there that long, they should give him the league minimum offer just to have him stay. Just having him around for the younger players makes it well worth re-signing him.
I wish the Angels would sign Justin Turner. He gives them more production as DH and he’s a righthanded bat that would allow the Angels to sit Schanuel against tough lefties, while also being some insurance to play third. He”s great in the clubhouse and community and he’s clutch. Still producing.
And went to Cal State Fullerton!
Angels are going all in!
If you look at the Angels roster and ignore the salaries, they look like an expansion team that has Mike Trout. It’s embarrassing. I’ve been an Angels fan since 1975. It’s been bad, but this team is awful.
I understand. Stay strong Frank!
Halo11! Talk Frank off the ledge like you did for me…
Angels be Angeling
I don’t like Jon Heyman
Joey in LA? Yeah, no, I’m not buying this one
Yeah-no= $5.00 fine.
I was going for a Lumberg but it didn’t land. I have $5 in Camel cash ready to send
You’re lucky “I know right?!” Is a Hamilton in our group.
Dock, The Halo’s have been known to make the most random moves possible. I totally believe it.
I just mean from Votto’s angle, I know enough about him to know a suffocating city like that is the kind of thing he avoids. My money is still on him returning to the Reds sometime during the season like mid summer, lesser so to Toronto or possibly Minnesota. I know The The Angels Angels would love to have his bat
lol as much as it would be cool to see him finish up with the Reds I think the Reds made it clear they do not intend to bring him back, especially in a full time capacity & he’s made it pretty clear he wants another opportunity to play with someone in a full time capacity…
Unfortunately just don’t see it happening
Probably was Johnny Votto according to Heyman.
Arson Votto?
For his age 39 season, that .747 OPS last year was pretty solid. Feel like he should be a DH (platooned) in his home country for a year.
Edit: actually, he was born in Toronto.
Edit 2: he actually did better against lefties, albeit a small sample size
I think this would be a great move, even if it’s just to have a solid bench guy/player coach to teach Schanuel the ropes at 1B (and wouldn’t hurt their young players to have an ear like his to talk to about hitting).
That’s the spirit, Greg!
Are you intentionally spelling Greg Pikitis incorrectly?
Angels have Trout and Rendon (if he’s playing) to DH, and asking Votto to play a considerable amount at 1B would be a big ask.
Not to mention, so I will, they have a young 1B’man, Nolan Schanuel, who had a .402 OBP after he was called up.
Angels scream rebuild.
Rendon should be sued for Corporate theft.
LOL!!!!!
sac
“Rendon should be sued for Corporate theft”
Nearly every player in MLB should sue MLB for wage theft, then
I can’t get worked up about this.
I just want to see the kids play , I want to see how much Trout and Rendon have in the tank, and Votto is not going to prevent that from happening.
So, I just don’t care.
Reds angels World Series here we come
Angels, better terrible and interesting than terrible and boring. Get Votto. Get anyone remotely interesting.
Trevor Bauer would fit the bill then.
Anaheim figure out your identity!
Clueless IS an identity. The Angels hold the patent.
Votto will have them yelling, “Shohei who?” In no time.
Does he get 8/160 or 10/275?
6/60
Angels can have Stanton for a dozen in and out Burgers from California.
6 burgers + Jo Adell and Rengifo…Deal?
Let it go Joe!
Why do once great players insist on making us remember them as the lousy players they become when they stay too long?
a 40 year old who won’t possibly have an above average season with the bat is a big time angels move
Sign all the remaining FA’s. Sort it out in Spring Training.
Dumb. So dumb!. There is no upside!
Nothing against Votto. But I rather have Turner.. I can see it now …
Dateline Anaheim …
October 18th Angels Vs Dodgers Mike Trout hits a walk off Grand Slam off Kershaw. The Angels win the WS.
Trout is mobbed at the plate. Ohtani is standing on the top step of the visitors dugout. Ohtani doesnt weather to laugh, cry or grab a mop.
The LA Angels beat the LA Deferers for 2nd WS Title
@Winslow Leach
Yeah, I’d rather that than the Los Karens winning it. Fake 2020 WS win.
I can see the fit, red jersey and all.
Schanuel doesn’t have a major league bat yet. He needs time in the minors to develop power. First base is a run production spot, especially on the Angels, who lack much thump. Schanuel looks like a backup/line drive pinch hitter at this point. I’d take a low cost flier on Votto for a 1 year and 1 mill, maybe some incentives. Why not???
Imagine the young team they could have if they had traded Trout and Ohtani at the deadline and kept all the young guys they barfed up to try to make the playoffs. The only thing Arte Moreno is worse at than putting together a good team is being a decent human being.
Trout has full no trade clause. It’s a mute point.
moot
Schanuel was “rushed to the majors”? So was Joyce, Silseth, Neto, Bachman, Deters, Adell..
Too bad you can’t reply to articles with a laughter emoji.. because, well, that’s how this article makes me feel.
I have a question. Did the St Louis Cardinals even call Joey Votto before signing Matt Carpenter? They’re both in identical situations (left handed bats who primarily DH and provide veteran leadership)
The one difference being is Votto was an MVP candidate just a couple years ago in 2021. Carpenter has only shown life in part of one season over the last 5!
They could have tried to catch lightning in a bottle with Votto like they did Berkman in 2011. I think if they gave Votto a chance in the lineup with Goldscmidt and Arenado protecting him good things could have happened. Oh well…so it goes. Smh
If Toronto doesn’t sign Votto they’re idiots. If Anaheim does sign Votto then both the Angels and Votto himself are idiots.
of course they’re interested. it’s where all players on the wrong side of their career go to play before retirement.
Dear Joey,
The Angels are a bunch of clowns. They don’t need you they don’t deserve you. They should be trading Mike Trout and giving Anthony Rendon away for an unruly fan he can yell at. Please sign with a contender and get the extended playoff run you earned.
Jays should just bring back Belt. He was productive.
5 years, 185 million. Let’s just jump right to the back end of a debilitating contract for an aging veteran. Atre?
Not saying Votto is done but the Angels is where great/HoF players are put out to pasture…
Joey Votto could be a very good signing on a one year deal if his shoulder is healthy. It wouldn’t tie up money for next years free agent class. If he can regain some of his pre-injury form, he could rotate through the the DH spot, and rotate at 1st base. His ability to hit with power while at the same time have a decent Batting Average, and above average On Base Percentage with high Walk rate could help contribute to putting pressure on opposing team pitch count. The 2002 Angels were very good at driving up the opposing starting pitchers pitch count and forcing the opposing team to bring in the Bullpen early. They famously would bring out the Rally Monkey, come back and win with their patient hitters and shut down Bullpen. I think that Votto’s experience could also help some of the young Angels players as a Mentor! He could possibly bat in the middle of the lineup or stretch out the lineup putting pressure towards the back of the lineup! I just hope the Angels Scouting have been doing their scouting and bring in another middle lineup hitter that can also play in the field. There’s nobody that can replace Ohtani, but as a team the Angels could collectively be a deeper lineup and possibly have a vested offensive and defensive team than last year. Their biggest need is pitching, but they still need one more big bat!
If joe mauer got into the Hall of Fame, then it will be pathetic if Mike Trout and Albert Pujols end up being rejected by the Hall of Fame.
Pujols amassed 101+ rwar and 85+ for Trout. Mauer was the best catcher for a while but inferior player to them.
Why would Trout be rejected? He was already in the HOF 6 years into his career
Sign Bauer and Cody, trade for Bieber and there’s a wildcard team there, assuming Trout and Redon are healthy.
Assuming what?
Please sell the team Artie. This makes sense!
Does the deal come with a Disneyland season pass?
This is inaccurate. when Joe first decided to have the required surgery, he admitted that he’d been playing with an injured shoulder across at least 4-5 years. Dude is a baller, and he’s likley 100% now. As a Reds fan, I’m gonna lmao when the team that signs him gets 20-25 bombs out of him and around a .260 average, while Candelaria hits .240 with 13 walks around the diamond. Dumb move, and the list gets longer..
So, Toronto is actually going to have to pay him a little. Fine.
Isn’t it just time for the Angels to stop making stupid moves?
It was time 12 years ago.
You mean the guy that said he would be Taylor Swifts 2nd boyfriend lol