MLB lockout will cost Reds' Joey Votto an absurd amount of money if games are missed

We're closing in on Major League Baseball's self-imposed deadline to complete a deal with the Player's Association. If the owners and MLBPA don't reach an agreement today, there is likely to be a shortened season.

If that occurs, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto stands to lose a lot of money. Votto signed a a 10-year/$225M contract extension with the Redlegs back in 2013 and has been paid $25M per year in three of the past four seasons. Votto received $9.2M during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Reds 1B Joey Votto will lose a lot of money if games are missed.

Joey Votto is slated to take home $25M this season and next. The Reds star also has a $20M team-option for the 2024 season with a $7M buyout. But if games are cancelled this season, it's going to take a toll on Votto's pocketbook.

The MLB lockout will cost Votto $154,321 for each game that's cancelled. Opening Day in Cincinnati is scheduled for March 31, 2022, but that is beginning to look more and more like an impossibility. The owners and players are still at odds over several core economic issues.

After meeting for more than six hours on Sunday, more negotiations between the owners and the MLBPA are scheduled to begin at 10 AM ET today. It seems very unlikely, however, that all the hurdles will be overcome by today's deadline.

Several spring training games have already been cancelled. As it stands now, we won't see any spring training games until at least March 8th, and every day that goes by without a new deal in place is likely to see more games cancelled.

While Joey Votto stands to lose over $150K per day, those players like Tyler Stephenson, Jonathan India, and Jose Barrero, who are making the league minimum will be out about $4,000 per day. That's a chunk of change for those players who've yet to sign a mega-deal like Votto.

Fans of the Cincinnati Reds, and baseball in general, are ready for the owners and the players to put the MLB lockout in the rearview mirror. Hopefully, a lot of issues will be settled by today's deadline, and if by some miracle there's a new CBA in place by day's end, there'll be no need to cancel any games.