1 reason why Sunday will be Joey Votto's last home game with the Reds and 2 reasons why it won't be

2 of 3

This season marks the final guaranteed year of Joey Votto's 10-year contract extension with the Cincinnati Reds that he signed back in 2012. Votto's current deal includes a $20-million club-option for 2024 with a $7-million buyout.

There is every reason to believe that Cincinnati will not exercise the option and instead pay Votto the $7 million. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that this Sunday at Great American Ball Park will be Votto's final home game in a Reds uniform. But it could be.

Anyone who wants to criticize Votto is welcome to do so, but even his harshest critics have to acknowledge that he's been the one of the very best players to ever don a Cincinnati Reds uniform. Will Sunday be Votto's last home game with the Reds?

Sunday will be Joey Votto's last home game with the Reds if he doesn't want to accept a part-time role.

This, more than anything else, could be the reason why Sunday is Joey Votto's last home game in a Cincinnati Reds uniform. Votto has already seen his playing time take hit this season. Does he have it in him to be a part-time player in 2024?

It's essentially the Miguel Cabrera or Albert Pujols question, right? Miggy has appeared in less than 100 games this season and Pujols had just over 300 at-bats in 2022. Votto might not be able to accept that type of role for a second consecutive season.

Votto's been a good soldier this year, ceding playing time to the likes of Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer at first base. This past month has seen Votto ride the bench even more with Jake Fraley essentially operating on one foot while occupying the DH spot.

But Joey Votto accepted his role this season based on how well the team was playing and where he fit upon his return from injury. Would a fully healthy Votto, who spent all offseason continuing to get his body right for the 2024 season, be able to accept being used strictly as a designated hitter, and maybe even sitting for two or three games in a row?

Votto is a competitor, and he's never one who's wanted to be pitied. If Votto is unable to accept the fact that he'd be an everyday DH at best, and possibly even a platoon bat, Sunday may be his last home game in a Reds uniform.

Sunday will not be Joey Votto's last home game with the Reds because of his 2024 salary.

Let's get this out of the way, shall we? Joey Votto's presence on next year's team has absolutely ZERO to do with money. Now some Reds fans will laugh at that notion, but it's the truth. The only guaranteed money the Reds have committed to next season is the $3-million owed to Hunter Greene.

So, the Cincinnati Reds could pick up Votto's $20-million option and be no worse for wear. They'd be foolish to do so, but paying Votto $20-million in 2024 is not going to affect Cincinnati's plans.

For all those Reds fans out there who expect Cincinnati's ownership to cut loose this offseason and start writing checks to all the top free agents, I've got news for you - it's not happening. And not for the reasons you think.

Yes, Reds ownership is notoriously tight-fisted when it comes to free agent spending. But that's not why the Reds will be extremely selective when it comes to potential free agent contracts during the offseason. Quite frankly, outside of Shohei Ohtani, there aren't many upgrades who'll be available this winter.

Matt Chapman might be the best position player available, and the Reds have no need for a third baseman with all the young infielders currently on the roster. Even the starting pitching market is thin. Do you really want the Reds to overpay Blake Snell? How about Jack Flaherty? Maybe Lucas Giolito?

Nope. The Cincinnati Reds payroll in 2024 will look very similar to what the Baltimore Orioles trotted out this season. The O's $71-million payroll, according to Spotrac, is the third lowest in baseball.

So while the Reds are more likely to buyout Joey Votto for $7-million and then renegotiate a potential one-year deal, the amount of money that the six-time All-Star might make in 2024 is not the reason Sunday could be his final home game in a Reds uniform.

Sunday will not be Joey Votto's last home game with the Reds because he wants to bring a championship to Cincinnati.

Some fans want to rag on Joey Votto because he makes $25-million per season and hasn't delivered when it mattered most. I can point to a number of players throughout league history that have seen similar results. One of them plays in southern California right now and has a contract worth $200-million more than Votto's.

To most fans, professional baseball players make a lot of money and when they don't live up to the expectations of the contract, it's fair to criticize them for not playing winning baseball.

But it's a bit difficult to lay all the blame for the lack of the Reds playoff success over the past decade at the feet of Joey Votto. Has he failed to produce in the postseason? A .563 OPS would suggest the answer is, yes. But in the 2012 NLDS, when the Reds actually had a team that could win it all, Votto was 7-for-18 (.389).

Votto wants nothing more than to bring a World Series Championship back to the city of Cincinnati. For all the old school Reds fans out there, nobody on this year's team, outside of Votto, probably has any idea who the Great Eight were? Or who the manager of the Big Red Machine was. Votto actually cares about the deep-rooted, rich history of baseball in Cincinnati.

With so much young talent on this Reds team, the 2024 season represents the first chance since 2012 that Cincinnati has a legitimate chance to make a run at the World Series. That's something that Joey Votto would love to be a part of, and if he can put his pride on the shelf and accept a lesser role, the Reds will welcome him back next season.

manual

Home / Reds News