Shushkewich: What now for free agent Joey Votto?
Etobicoke Rangers’ grad 1B Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) became a free agent for the first time on the weekend and says he wants to play in 2024.
November 5, 2023
By Tyson Shushkewich
Canadian Baseball Network
For now, it appears as if it is the end of an era in Cincinnati.
The Reds declined Joey Votto’s 2024 club option on Saturday, making the Etobicoke, Ont., native a free agent for the first time in his career. With the Reds boasting a talented prospect pool and the lefty-batter struggling to produce over the past couple of seasons while battling various injuries, the writing was on the wall for his $20-million US club option. He will receive a $7-million buyout.
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall told reporters “We don’t have a spot for him to play right now … He forever will be part of the Reds’ family, and at the appropriate time we will thank and honor him as one of the greatest baseball players of this or any generation.”
Looking ahead, the door has not closed on Votto returning to the Reds organization, a sentiment echoed by Krall, “We’re not closing the door on anything … We’ve got to figure out how to get playing time for some of these players to keep moving forward, and I think that’s where we are right now. Something could happen, but right now it’s not there.”
Votto took to social media on Sunday (sitting in a Muskoka chair no less) to express his gratitude for the organization and the Reds fan base in a four-minute video that had fans across the league supporting the Canadian.
The 2024 season would have been the final year of the 10-year, $225-million contract that he signed at the start of the 2012 season, which at the time was one of the longest active deals in the majors when factoring in the previous contract he signed the year prior (three years, $38 million).
That extension made him the highest paid Canadian athlete. The deal is the franchise record for the longest contract for a Reds player. The former Etobicoke Ranger has been with the organization since 2002 when the franchise selected him in the second round out of Richview Collegiate Institute, spurning a commitment to Coastal Carolina to turn pro.
Five years later, Votto had a cup of coffee when the big league rosters expanded, making his debut in a pinch-hit at-bat against the New York Mets on Sept. 4. His first hit came a day later, a home run to centre field at Great American Ball Park off right-hander John Maine. This crossed off the first hit, first home run, and first RBI milestones for Votto at the big league level.
Future Blue Jay Edwin Encarnación was hitting ahead of the Canadian in the Reds’ batting order. Each had three hits in the Reds’ 7-0 win. Votto had regular starting reps the rest of the season as Cincinnati struggled to a 72-90 record.
Over the course of 17 seasons with the historic franchise, Votto has amassed a .294/.409/.511 slash line with 356 home runs, 1,114 RBIs, and a .920 OPS through 2,056 games and 7,252 at-bats. From 2010 to 2013, Votto was a regular at the All-Star Game and earned the NL MVP Award in 2010, leading the league in OBP (.424) and the NL in SLG (.600) and OPS (1.024).
Votto made four different appearances in the postseason, advancing as far as the NLDS in 2010 and 2012.
So far in his career, Votto has amassed 20-plus home runs in a single season nine times while leading the league in walks on three separate occasions (2013, 2015, and 2017). Votto has also amassed six All-Star appearances, one Gold Glove, and one Hank Aaron award while ranking near the top of many offensive leader board categories in Reds history, sitting second in home runs, doubles (459), total bases (3,706), and OBP (.409) while ranking fifth in hits (2,135) and sixth in games played (2,056).
From a Canadian perspective, he is currently the leader in career at-bats, games played, walks, and OBP while sitting just behind Hall of Famer Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) in terms of hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, OPS, and bWAR.
On the international level, Votto represented Canada at the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic tournaments. He is also a two-time recipient of the Lou Marsh Award (now the Northern Star Award), presented to Canada’s top athlete of the year (2010 and 2017), and a seven-time recipient of the Tip O’Neill Award, handed out each year to the top Canadian by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
If this is indeed the last time we see Votto donning a Reds uniform, even with the recent dip in production, the veteran first baseman will likely receive some interest this offseason from teams looking for a left-handed bat that could use a change of scenery. At 40, Votto has said he would like to play at least one more season and believes he can still contribute in a full-time role somewhere in the big leagues.
The emotional connection would be the Toronto Blue Jays, with Canada’s lone major league team potentially welcoming back one of their own while also having a roster spot available with Brandon Belt, who platooned at first base-DH for the Jays this past season, heading to free agency this winter.
It’s a risky move considering Votto has struggled at the plate over the past two seasons (.204/.317/.394 with 25 home runs and a .712 OPS through 156 games) but if he is willing to work in a part-time platoon role and can produce from the left-side, there is a potential fit. Other opportunities will likely arise as the offseason continues but it will now be in Votto’s court for the first time, with his sights likely set on one last push for a World Series run or potentially one last go-around with the Reds (at a reduced amount, both financially and on the field).
Now a free agent, the iconic Reds infielder will set his sights on continuing to play in 2024 whether that is in Cincinnati or elsewhere when spring training rolls around. Regardless of whether he continues to play or hangs up his cleats, Joey Votto has definitely presented a solid case for Cooperstown, a future number retirement for the Reds organization, and his spot in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, which will surely be waiting for him once he calls it a career.