Joey Votto's cryptic social media post has Reds fans pacing the floor

Joey Votto was one of the most mercurial players to ever set foot on a Major League Baseball field. The longtime Cincinnati Reds star and likely Hall of Famer has always been a shrewd operator; never one to put all his cards on the table.

During Votto's final season in Cincinnati, the six-time All-Star became engrossed in the social media phenomenon. Votto began to display a personality that many Reds fans had seen never before, and it seemed to ingratiate him with the Cincinnati fanbase even more. Votto's most recent social media post, however, has fans quizzically trying to figure out if he's signaling a future opportunity with the Reds organization.

Joey Votto's cryptic social media post has Reds fans pacing the floor

Votto posted two pictures to his Instagram account. The first showed two different maps of Cincinnati with the caption, "Which one we prefer?" The second revealed what appeared to be several new Votto jerseys with the caption, "I like the new sleeves."

This of course caused a stir among the Reds' fanbase; what was Votto hinting at here? Is he coming back to the Reds' organization as a coach? That's certainly a possibility. Votto has nearly 20 years of professional baseball experience that he could pass on to the young players in the Reds' clubhouse. After watching Cincinnati rank neat the bottom of the league in hitting last season, adding the sage advice from one of the best hitters the game has ever seen couldn't hurt, right?

But perhaps Votto would be more comfortable in the broadcast booth. The former NL MVP has shown on multiple occasions that he has the chops to take on the role of a color commentator. During the 2022 season, while recovering from shoulder surgery, Votto joined Jon Sadak and Barry Larkin in the television booth on more than one occasion. Votto was actually on the call when Spencer Steer collected his first major league home run.

Only Votto knows what his true intentions were, but he's certainly captured the attention of a fanbase that'd love to see him return to the Queen City. Reds fans are expecting to hear something in the coming days, and with Votto, you never know what he's cooking up behind the scenes.

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