Can't fault front office for Votto finale

Even if Jays were open to a proper goodbye at the Rogers Centre, it's now clear that he wasn't

- GREGOR CHISHOLM

There are lots of things the Blue Jays front office deserves to be criticized for poor roster construction, failures in player development and a blind spot to power among them but the treatment of Joey Votto doesn't qualify.

When Votto announced his retirement via a short video on Instagram Tuesday night, there was a rush to judgment on social media. How could the Jays let one of this country's best athletes retire in a Buffalo parking lot? Why didn't they offer him one game, one atbat, so he could say a proper goodbye?

Well, even if the Jays had been open to such a scenario, it's now clear that Votto was not. The potential future Hall of Famer didn't sign with his hometown team in the spring as a gimmick, he genuinely wanted to contribute and play well in front of his city and country.

Once Votto realized that was no longer possible because of an aging skill set, he moved on.

"I'm really saddened that I wasn't able to make it happen, that I wasn't able to arrive and perform, at the Rogers Centre in a Blue Jays uniform representing the city that I grew up in, the country that I grew up in and my people," said Votto, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Cincinnati Reds.