First baseman Joey Votto has spent his entire career with the Reds but is currently a free agent. The club declined their $20MM option for his services in 2024, opting for the $7MM buyout instead, sending him to the open market for the first time in his career.
Votto is hoping to continue playing this year, but it seems he’ll have to don a new uniform in order to do so. Cincinnati’s president of baseball operations Nick Krall was unusually candid last month in firmly stating that the Reds “don’t plan to bring him back as of now.”
The veteran has received interest from the Blue Jays and Angels this offseason but remains unattached. Whether he finds a new playing gig or not, it seems he has future job opportunities on the table. Krall tells Gordon Wittenmyer and Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the club would welcome Votto back for some kind of role in his post-playing days.
“I’ve left the door open for that,” Krall said. “I’d love to have Joey in the organization, once his playing days are over. He’s a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer. He’s very well respected in the organization, and we all love him.” The exact nature of that role would likely be determined in the future, with the article floating possibilities such as a mentor, coach, special assistant, etc.
It’s understandable that the club would welcome such a development, given Votto’s franchise icon status. He played parts of 17 seasons with them, winning National League MVP in 2010 and making six All-Star teams in the process. He hit 356 home runs and walked nearly as much as he struck out, among many other accomplishments.
That may end up being the final tally of his accolades as a Red, but he’s still hoping to add to his track record with another club. Whenever it’s time to transition to a different stage, it seems he’ll have options available to him.
Joey V is good for the game. I hope he stays in baseball and not go to announcing. I do think he would be a good color man on radio or TV with his dry wit though. I just think he would be better helping young players on the field as a coach. Hopefully it is with the Reds.
Votto is a far better broadcaster than he is a player now. Honestly if you listened to him last year I’d say he’s as good of a broadcaster as he was a player in his prime.
Pretty much as I have said, but I will never tell a guy who wants to keep playing to give it up. I’ve been there.
I didn’t play professionally, but I knew to give it up after age 35. My younger teammates didn’t have the same drive I had for the most part. Plus, it was harder to stay on top on my game as I aged.. Then there was more stiffness and nagging injuries. Plus, I wasn’t getting paid. I played for the love of the game and most others didn’t love it the same. Your job interfered as well. Most are playing it for the money today or a college scholarship(which is basically the same thing)..
@Alan, I currently play with or have played with numerous guys who ve played college ball. I myself played Division II(tiny partial scholarship). I ve also played with a handful of guys who played Minor League Ball. I ve yet to meet one that anyone would question their love of the game.
While $ might influence some of the decisions in their careers, the vast majority of MLB players no doubt love the game. Even most of the immensely talented players have had to dedicate a significant portion of their lives to get where they are today. That just rarely happens without true love and a passion for the game.
That said, I ve got a kind of cool story of a guy I played some tournament ball with who played in MiLB. He happened to be at the end of his attempts of making MLB as Royals talent was on its way up towards MLB roster. Obviously a guy like him having played AAA ball most of watched closely to try and measure his skills. Few games in no ABs or any spectacular plays in the OF, not that he really had the opportunity for such a play. But a gap hit comes between us I get to warning track just as he’s throwing and this ball was a laser just on plane from his hand all the way to the catcher. In all my years playing the sport I’ve never been on a field with a ball thrown like that. And this was a guy who barely got a whiff of AAA. The talent and skill players at those levels have is crazy especially when you witness it from that close of a perspective.
Tigers, you nailed it. That’s why I get riled when someone berates a guy who made the majors. Dude is a good player or he would never have made the Show.
Full disclosure, I was never lucky enough to make it. There are a lot of good players in the minors who never get called up. I bounced around the minors a while as a catcher and was lucky enough to stay in the game working for my last team for a while and helping out the big league organization doing some bird dog scouting. My wife says I should have called myself Crash Davis.
With few exceptions, everyone on a professional field loves the game. It is hard to know when you’re done. Usually the teams will tell you when they quit calling.
I went to Hillsdale, only 3 players had ever been drafted to MLB at time I played and I believe 2 since. Unfortunately I knew when my ending would come.
I do however have a goal of playing softball til I’m in senior leagues. My body seems to get angrier every year tho with that goal, lol.
But I just can’t get behind the notion that other than maybe a select few MLB players do not have an immense love for the game. To this day when I’m under the lights in the OF, the concept of time seems frozen. It’s just a place I love and the thoughts of aging, work, bills, or whatever takes a backseat and the game is all that is on my mind.
I played softball three days a week until I was 40 with knee braces on two bad knees, so I get it. I still played a decent first base and of course hit the ball a mile, my teammates said so I didn’t have to run so much!
It got so though, that my wife who is a nurse, asked me what I was doing to myself as I was limping around all the time and not really recovering from the last game. I still hang out with the group from time to time as I like hanging out at a ballpark. I also get to hang out on the field with the minor league team I used to play for. My wife says I’m like Norm from Cheers because everybody yells my name and says hi when I show up!
To say I still don’t get the itch to this day is an understatement. The spirit is always willing but the body is weak, as the saying goes. I’m an old guy now, I played minor league ball in the late 80s, early 90s, but on the field, you still think you’re young and want to grab a bat.
I ve been lucky with my knees. My arm is a fraction of what it used to be, I can only imagine what damage has been done as far as ligaments and whatever else. But I know I’m not alone there.
My wife has been vocal as well, I warned her before we married tho I play softball and will play. But I’m now allowed to play once a week, some tournaments here and there. Still seem to be pretty fast and have my bat speed. I don’t dive or slide on the bases anymore except if absolutely necessary. Tried to do the same for the field. I can’t stop myself tho I get a bead on a ball and I’m laying out for it if I have to, can’t stop myself even if I try don’t even think about it til I get up. My pitching days are over, with today’s bats I’m not getting lit up with missiles coming back at me.
I guess I had a different story. I played in college and we had several key players that loved their fraternity more than baseball. That hurt the team in a large way. I played and coached the game for many years in men’s non pro independent leagues. We only played once or twice a week. Many of the key players preferred going to the beach on weekends than being dependable and showing up for the games. Another huge issue was them not keeping themselves in decent playing condition by working out on their own. between games. You have to practice at least some between games.. If you aren’t disciplined enough to do that, then you don’t love the game and in turn hurt your team.
That was another issue we had. Some players tried to play slow pitch softball and baseball at the same time. Very few players I played with could handle that hitting wise. Especially when not taking BP on their own. I saw many players who could hit a softball who couldn’t hit a baseball and to a lesser extent vice versa. Hitting wise, the two sports worked against each other. Golf was the same way. Golfers drop the back shoulder when hitting. That is bad for baseball. Again, very few could effectively do both well.
True. When I first started playing softball after baseball was over, I used to kid I could go get a coke and a sandwich while waiting on the pitch to get there. I was a dead pull hitter in baseball and a spray hitter in softball. Definitely two different games.
I tried a little slow pitch softball late in my career. I almost went crazy waiting on the ball to finally get to the plate. It is just a totally different thing versus looking for the fastball and adjusting to something off speed in baseball. The long wait is what messes up the mind for baseball players playing slow pitch softball. It is entirely two totally different thought processes.. I could hit the other way as well as pull the ball. I had all my 13 year players hitting the other way if the ball was on the outside portion of the plate.
I would have preferred fast pitch, honestly. My father played fast pitch softball in a league but these days, the only fast pitch leagues seem to be for females, at least around here. Probably because of the beer!
I played first base as well. I was an excellent fielder and hardly ever made an error while not letting anything on the ground get through. I hit above .300 everywhere I played. I had a missile for an arm but was extremely wild. I very seldom threw over half speed for fear of hurting someone. I almost killed my college coach while taking infield. He made the mistake of hitting another ball before I threw the ball back to the catcher from 1B. About the time he threw his ball into the air to hit,, my ball was heading for his head. The two balls, the coaches head, his feet and the bat were all pretty much on a plane.. The catcher was laughing his a$$ off behind the coach when he got up off the ground. I tried to keep a straight face. I had little power and was slow afoot. I rarely struck out against even the best pitchers. I probably could have played professionally if I had been able to run well. Any power would have enhanced my chances..
You guys are making me jealous. Those who can still play it that is.
I miss playing this game so much even though it beat me to death.
After years of suffering, finally got an MRI on my shoulder for example. Before the shoulder specialist tells me my rotator cuff has been fully torn off at the bone for years, he asks me, what in the hell happened to you?
A: Baseball Doc
Haha. I was asked by mine after an x-ray if I knew I had several past broken bones in my foot.
I said I’m not surprised, I was a catcher.
He said oh…
Throwing the ball overhand is an un-natural thing. It is stressful on the whole body. Especially the arm and shoulder.. I found throwing a softball overhand hurt my arm much more than throwing a baseball. Of Course it was both larger and heavier. Usually the more you do it the worse the consequences. That is why I am against starting kids too young with too much throwing. Many play year round and that compounds the problem. Both the arm and body need an ample amount of rest.. You could still have problems even with that rest. I think weight lifting abuse lends to all the current arm problems we see today..
I remember back in the day, they forbid baseball players to lift weights. I did in high school with the football players, thinking it paid to do so being a catcher, and got read the riot act. Long story short, maybe they knew something after all.
I think so. You didn’t see all the arm injuries and others as well back in the day.. Especially among the pitchers. Pitchers throw harder across the board today (because of weights). The increased violence in their motion is some of it. Plus, they are taught to not use their body, standing upright when delivering (to get more downward angle on the ball which is harder to hit). Tom Seaver had the best drop and drive mechanics I can think of. He hardly ever had an arm injury and was one of the more successful pitchers ever..
I was an all conference basketball player in high school and averaged close to 20 points per game my senior year. I refused to play after my 9th grade year until my senior year because the football coach made us all lift weights during baseball and basketball seasons. He sat there with a paddle and counted the reps. You were lucky to be able to hit the backboard, much less the goal. It hurt us in baseball season as well.
Players still threw their arms out back in the day. They’d either just be done like Koufax or adjust as Frank Tanana did.
As for weight training I’d say most likely nearly cut back to some degree on weight training opposed to the off season. With 162 game schedule it would kind of be a detriment. One of keys to weight training is recovery, it’s not as simple as just alternating body parts daily as most do when in the middle of a 162 game schedule.
I don’t think you saw them throwing their arms out as often as happens today. Of course, they didn’t play youth league baseball from the time they could walk back then. The throwing all adds up like miles on an auto.
Would rather have prime Edgar Martinez
Just as relevant: Would rather have prime Bob Gibson than Lance Lynn
They could really use prime Sandy Koufax now but that has nothing to do with the subject at hand.
You’re comment is weird
Maybe back of there baseball cards are close far as hitting goes but Votto played D Edgar not so much
Joey, reach out to the Cubs
the Reds should offer him V.P. of Distributing Baseballs to Fans
Votto has made over 250mil, doesn’t have any particluar milestones left that are reachable, .294 career ba, @2100h, maxxed out service time, guess it’s just the WS thing.
Would never tell a guy to walk away, personally I’d go the overseas route and take my last pa in Mexico if need be (no not suggesting he do that it’s what I’D DO were I in his shoes), hope he gets what he’s looking for!
His HOF case has been and will be one of hearty debate either way.
Hall of very very good. HOF for the greatest ones. That being said who knows when it’s voting time.
Yeah it seems like it’s easier to get in the HOF now than before. Way things are going he will be in.
How do you figure?
There are fewer players (both by percentage and raw numbers) in the Hall of Fame that were born after 1961 than there were for players born in any previous decade.
If anything, it’s harder to get into the hall now than it ever has been.
You’re basing the argument around age? Your argument is supposed to be that way. Because guys born prior to 1961 get in by committees now, which will continue with guys after 1961.
Also, BBWAA threw a tantrum not inducting guys one year and then complained they didn’t have enough spaces to vote for players thereafter. The bar has been lowered, and it’s low enough for Votto to get in despite being a Hall of Very Good type player.
May be less players get in but by the numbers they are not as good as past players. I guess what I am trying to say is a not as great player can get in easier than before. I know the game has sped up since those times and that could be taken into accountability.
Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Palmeiro, Manny, McGwire, A-Rod – all born after 1961 and not in the Hall of Fame. That too will skew the numbers. It’s a bogus argument by jigo.
And not a single one of those players DESERVE to be in the HOF!
Votto’s return to the Reds post playing career is an automatic, isn’t it?
The Reds roster is clogged as far as position players right now. There is an abundance of young talent. Most years in the past he would have fit in as a DH and part time 1B. but not this year. There should be some team that could use him this season. Just not the Reds.
Being so candid about not signing votto and then signing Candelario doesn’t sit well with me.
So you don’t care about that winning thing?
Joey’s playing days are over, he just hasn’t accepted it yet
I know he’d probably never sign there (I only base this on comments from early on in his career, justified as the may have been), but the Cubes would be a fun 300-350 plate appearances.
They won’t sign him because they’re a bunch of squares.
You’re getting to the root of the problem.
I’m pretty sure Joey could care less what Nick Krall thinks tbh
I would imagine he couldn’t care less.
I get the impression that Joey doesn’t like Krall much. I remember last year out of nowhere Krall said he would consider trading Votto to the Blue Jays. Joey was an awkward and somewhat unlikable player when he first came up and is a completely different person than we was 15 years ago. Everybody knows that Votto’s heart is in Cincinnati and his feelings are hurt right now because he knows he’s probably not coming back.
If not for Bell making a ton of money in Miami, Votto would be a great platoon partner for the Marlins. He could also get some AB’s at DH.
Regardless of Bell, Miami needs a bench bat to replace Yuli Gurriel, and I’d rather have Votto than Jose Abreu.
They also haven’t signed anyone to replace Jorge Soler at DH.
I’m telling you, he’s going to sign on initially as a depth piece mid-season in response to roster injuries and build steam from there, he’s not finished
Has Team Canada been chosen for Paris Olympic team yet? That’d be a good way to go out if I were Votto.
Want to see back this year but please have him as an announcer/commentator. That game he did in 2022 was the best game of the season
Milwaukee
Reds completed their contractual obligation to Votto with the $7MM buyout of their $20MM team option this year. I’m pretty sure a “post-playing role” was offered then. Votto continues to seek ML playing time- and apparently hasn’t received any acceptable offers. This item seems to be Krall offering Votto some high ground to just annoucing his retirement. The “interest” from Toronto and Angels may have been no more than due diligence. Take the offer Joey. Maybe play the first series with the Reds this spring and hang ’em up with pride.
The jettisoning of a long time vet in Votto because allegdely “there wss no space on the roster” and then the subsequent signing of Candelario to an outrageous sum better used elsewhere was a bad look and everyone knows it except the resident apologist.
True. The same should be true for Candelario as well. Never mind Candelarion can also play 3B. We have a surplus there as well. They keep making excuses for Candelario’s signing, but I just can’t see it. India can do most of what he has done in the past and for a lot less than 15 million per year.
.
Yankees. That swing at that park and can give rizzo a break and vitro can dh.
Like most Reds veterans they have sent away with not much fanfare, it may be a while before Votto is back with the organization again. They have had a long habit of this with few exceptions. In fact, Johnny Bench is the only one I can think of. They even tried to trade Barry Larkin to the Mets and failed. Even though he remained a Red, he went to work for the Nationals at first post career, so you knew there was some hard feelings there.
The is correct. The Reds have a weird relationship with their former stars. I attended Reds Fest this past December and was shocked how few former players were in attendance. I mean the highlight of former players included Chris Heisy and Ryan Hanigan.
It leaves me to believe that the Reds are not a great organization to be involved with. I have known people who had non-player roles in the organization and everyone of them complained how cheap the Reds are
Every Reds fan would love to have Joey still on the team if they didn’t have better options. Back when you could keep 14-15 position players because you only needed 10-11 pitchers. You had a guy whose primary role was PH.
Joey Votto doesn’t owe the Reds a damn thing. He doesn’t need their money or some pitiful PR job with the team.
He’ll play somewhere this year but being the Reds fan I am, I’ve always wanted to see him in some coaching capacity with us.
He can retire as a player from the Reds, but he probably should consider other teams and/or options with MLB for his next role. No need to limit himself.
Would he have better chance of playing some more in another country? Why doesn’t he do that?
Could he play in another country or league?