Reds would reportedly consider trading Joey Votto to Blue Jays if he asked for it

Votto, born in Toronto and raised in Etobicoke, Ont., was drafted by Cincinnati in 2002 and has played for just one franchise his entire career, compiling 16 seasons with the Reds. But as he prepares for his 17th major-league campaign, management has considered what life could be like without the six-time All-Star.

In speaking with former general manager and current MLB analyst Jim Bowden, Reds GM Nick Krall said he hopes Votto will finish his career in the same place it started. If Cincinnati becomes a seller at the trade deadline, though, Krall could be open to dealing the 2010 NL MVP to his hometown franchise if that’s Votto’s wish.

The 39-year-old Votto is entering the final season of his 10-year, $225-million contract, which includes a full no-trade clause and a $20-million club option for 2024, with a $7-million buyout.

Joey Votto on Joey Moppo: The Reds star dishes about his own oral history

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Votto: My routine every day is to compete, then go home, play chess and listen to old Norm Macdonald and old David Letterman, have a sleeve of saltines and then go to sleep. I’m dead-ass serious. That’s my life routine from basically spring training on.

Dickerson: The level he’s at right now, the app won’t let me challenge him because it’s so far advanced.

Gennett: Joey Votto is playing chess, and the rest of us are playing checkers.

Votto: I get lessons from a grandmaster. I’m somewhere around 1,400 on chess.com right now. Once you get to 1,500, you can probably play some over-the-board tournaments. I’m solid but not special. Almost nobody in the sport can beat me, but I’m fine.

Guevara: One offseason he made a bet with Aroldis (Chapman) over who would speak better Spanish or English, and Joey the next day is ordering Rosetta Stone. I thought, “This guy’s going to speak better Spanish than me in a year.” And sure enough he’s correcting me on my Spanish.

Votto: I want to be able to work in the Dominican. I want to be able to work in the Arizona Summer League. I want to maybe work in a minor-league system one day and help a younger group…More than anything, I find a lot of joy out of learning. It’s not entirely this long-term goal. Learning begets more learning. I take Spanish lessons for an hour and a half, two hours three times a week with my instructor. I love it.