Reds first baseman Joey Votto just wrapped up the final guaranteed year of his contract, and while the Reds hold a $13M decision on a $20M team option for the veteran’s services next season, they seem all but certain to simply pay the $7M buyout on the option.
The end of his contract in Cincinnati has come with plenty of speculation regarding whether or not Votto, who turned 40 last month, would retire after seventeen seasons in the big leagues. Votto put that speculation to rest today on “The Dan Patrick Show,” as the show’s executive producer Paul Pabst made note of this morning. As a guest on the radio show this morning, Votto announced that he wants to play “at least” one more season before adding that while he wants to play for the Reds, he would at least consider playing for another club if the team decides they want to move on.
From a pure production standpoint, Votto appears to be something of a borderline candidate for a big-league role heading into 2024. His 2023 season saw him begin the season on the injured list as he struggled to get ready for the season following shoulder surgery he underwent in the summer of 2022, but once he reached the field he was a roughly league-average bat for the Reds, slashing .202/.314/.433 (98 wRC+) with 14 home runs in just 242 trips to the plate.
Of course, there’s more at play here than simply raw on-the-field production. Votto is one of the premier talents of his generation, a six-time All-Star who won the NL MVP award in 2010 and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting five additional times. He’s led the National League in on-base percentage seven times in his career and stands as the league’s active leader in walks and hits (following the retirement of Miguel Cabrera) while placing in the top five among active players in doubles, home runs, and RBI. What’s more, he’s spent his entire professional career in a Reds uniform ever since being drafted by the club in the second round of the 2002 draft.
Given Votto’s Hall of Fame-caliber resume and two-decade-long history in the Reds organization, it’s hard to imagine him playing for any other club. That being said, the reality of the situation may not be quite so cut and dry. After all, the Reds are at the beginning of what could be a long competitive window and boast a bevy of exciting young position players and prospects including Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte. Those five players alone figure to fill the club’s infield mix and DH spot, to say nothing of the presence of Jonathan India and other up-and-coming youngsters like Edwin Arroyo. It’s hard to imagine Votto having a place in the club’s everyday lineup in 2024, though it’s unclear if he would be open to a bench role in the organization.
That said, it seems unlikely that Votto would be able to find a starting role on a contender in the event he moves on from the Reds. While it’s certainly feasible he could find a part-time role with a club in need of lefty bats like his hometown Blue Jays, it’s fair to assume based on Votto’s comments that such an arrangement would only be on the table if the Reds are unwilling to offer him a role on the team in any capacity, given his stated preference to play for Cincinnati next year.
