Longtime Reds first baseman Joey Votto likely saw his 22-year tenure as a member of the organization come to a close back in November when the team declined their club option on his services for the 2024 season. Votto has made clear that he plans to continue playing in 2024 whether in a Reds uniform or not, however, and as such has entered free agency for the first time in his 17-year big league career. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, three teams are currently expressing interest in the services of the veteran slugger. It’s a noteworthy development in Votto’s market, seeing as prior to today the only club that had been connected to the 40-year-old this winter was his hometown Blue Jays.
A potential future Hall of Famer, Votto slashed an eye-popping .315/.436/.545 across nine seasons from 2009 to 2017, good for a wRC+ of 162. During that peak, he represented the Reds at the All Star game five times, won the NL MVP award in 2010, finished as a finalist in both 2015 and 2017, and received votes for the award in every season except 2014, when he was limited to just 62 games by injuries. Since entering his mid-thirties, however, Votto has begun to decline at the plate. From 2018 to 2020, Votto slashed an uncharacteristic .265/.382/.400 (114 wRC+) with just 38 home runs in 341 games, a far cry from his career .313/.428/.541 slash line entering the 2018 campaign.
While the 2021 season saw Votto rebound at the age of 37 with a strong .266/.375/.563 slash line (140 wRC+) as he slugged 36 home runs in just 129 games, the veteran has been dogged by injury woes ever since. He’s been limited to just 156 games over the past two seasons by shoulder surgery and when healthy enough to take the field has slashed a paltry .204/.317/.394 that clocks in just below league average with a wRC+ of 95. Votto saw flashes of success as he managed a solid .219/.323/.533 slash line with 13 home runs in just 41 games through August 9 this past season, but ultimately ran out of gas down the stretch and slashed just .169/.298/.239 the rest of the way.
Despite the inauspicious end to his 2023 season, Votto told C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic during a recent interview that he isn’t concerned about finding a job with a big league club this winter, noting that “this is a good place to be” so long as he continues to feel healthy.
“I’ve said this over the last couple of years — if I’m healthy, I can play for basically everyone,” Votto told Rosencrans. “I said it in ’21, it was easy again, my game had evolved…it just so happened that the last couple of years, I’ve been working through a pretty serious injury. I thought I competed well. I’d like to enter the season fully healthy and play with confidence, knowing that my instincts were correct and that when healthy, I was still able to compete.”
As Votto notes, it’s impossible to ignore the significant injury woes he’s dealt with the past two seasons. Given how successful he was in his last fully healthy season, it’s far from impossible to imagine the veteran bouncing back to produce at a solid level in the majors next year. While gets more and more difficult to maintain in a player’s late 30s and 40s, it’s far from impossible for a player to find success even at that advanced age. Nelson Cruz slashed .265/.334/.497 in his age-40 campaign back in 2021, while 2022 saw 42-year-old Albert Pujols post an incredible .270/.345/.550 slash line with 24 home runs in just 350 plate appearances during his farewell season. While a season that strong from a quadragenarian is quite rare, Votto wouldn’t have to replicate those fantastic efforts to be a productive major leaguer.
Nightengale did not name the three teams with interest in Votto’s services headed into 2024, but it’s not hard to identify teams he could be a speculative fit for. The aforementioned Blue Jays are an obvious pick for the Toronto native given his ties to the city and the club’s need to find a replacement for Brandon Belt as a lefty-swinging DH. Looking beyond Votto’s homeland, the Nationals are reportedly in the market for a left-handed power bat who could serve as a complement to Joey Meneses at first base and DH.
Meanwhile, the Padres have a hole at DH and have traded away lefty bats Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Matt Carpenter in an attempt to clear salary this winter. Votto could provide San Diego with a relatively inexpensive lefty bat who could be parked at DH or play first base in the event Jake Cronenworth is moved back to the keystone in 2024. The Mariners, Astros, and Angels are among other clubs who could stand to benefit from adding a lefty-swinging veteran to their first base/DH mix, though Votto would likely be relegated to a bench role with any of those clubs.
You think he plays for 1 million? Or does he need more to not retire.
It’s not a question of what he “needs.”
He should get as much as the market will bear, like any free agent.
Why are you concerned about the number?
You seem like you are overeating to a fairly benign comment.
He always does. He’s a clown
how long until the Yankees sign him?
Italian name like Votto would do good in NY
Respectfully, Baron, I think in this instance your response is incorrect.
It is not just what the market will bear, instead, as the poster implied, it is whether if the market bears very little, that Votto might find it insufficient to continue his career. I could easily see Votto passing on $1 million from the Nationals, as an example. I do think he might take the league minimum from the Blue Jays even as a platoon player or backup. And if a team like the Padres or Cubs were crazy enough to offer him a starting job until he loses it, I think he might take a rather low salary. In any event, my point is that Votto may accept what the market will bear, but he may also reject it at this point in his career if it is too small for his liking.
You are correct. It’s his decision.
But as I said in response to your post about teachers and nurses, the specific number should be set by the market for MLB players, not arbitrary.
I don’t disagree with that comment.
My point is that I never find it insulting if a new team offers a free less than their worth. As a player any offer is better than none, you can accept it or you can reject it as you see fit.
It is a blessing to get paid to play a game. You can say it’s an insult when your current team won’t pay you market rate, but a player may have a different value to a different team. For a team like the Nationals, maybe they think Votto can be a mentor or a ticket draw. For a team like the Padres it is all about whether in a cheap budget he could help them win a couple extra games. There are no insulting offers, just ones likely to be outbid.
I see signing Votto like signing Nelson Cruz last year. High potential based on past results, but all indicators are bleak for the future.
Obviously he doesn’t “need” the money. I guess I’m asking if he’d take that Cruz deal for another opportunity to play the game we love in the sun, or do we the mlbtr readers feel like he’ll want more to put up with the grind/travel/etc at 40+ as a man with many millions locked away?
1 mil is insulting for a player with his career, unless it’s loaded with incentives. He’s still an OB machine, not sure what else. I’m sure a team can use him, I don’t think he’s done….not totally.
@Sid Bream: I’m not overeating. I try hard to watch my diet.
Votto WAS an OB% machine, but the past two seasons he has an OB% in the 310s.
I honestly wonder if signing Votto for a non”insulting” amount of money would be worth it for any team. They might be better off just handing 1b to whatever kid they have in their system as Votto is 40 (41 in September) and unlikely to be healthy and productive enough for even 400 PAs. I would love it if Votto could make me eat my words and come back even for 2025.
No, one million to play a game is not insulting when there are teachers and nurses who make less than ten grand a month.
I know some poster will say that not many nurses or teachers can hit a 95 mph curveball and sure that is true. I have no problem when the market pays players a lot, but there is nothing insulting for a team to offer what the player is worth to them. It is about 2024 not a legacy.
No, teaching and nursing are not the industries in which Votto is looking for a job.
MLB players deserve compensation commensurate with the revenue they produce for their teams’ owners. If that is $1 million, so be it. But if it’s $3 million or $5 million, then that’s what it should be.
Being paid less than that just helps those owners keep money in their pockets. It does nothing to help teachers and nurses.
@MannyBeingMVP,
Votto’s worth a lot more than 1 mil.. Future Hall of Famer with the knowledge and experience to mentor and lead his teammates. as well as be DH and play some first base.
Maybe Votto could be a good coach and in that instance he would not take up a roster spot.
It still boils down to me that the majority of teams think Joey has regressed since 2021 rather than it just being injuries. Perhaps we will find out who is correct, I certainly have no inside knowledge regarding his health.
Baron
You missed my point or chose to ignore it.
I am not saying even a marginal player should be paid like a nurse or teacher I am fine with supply and demand even in the baseball monopoly.
It is calling an offer an insult based on distant past results. It would not be an insult to offer Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera one million, same for Votto. If a team believes Votto is enough of a difference maker they will pay him. Clearly more teams think he has regressed from 2021 than think he just had a temporary injury. But if Jason Heward could prove me wrong – and he did – maybe Votto can too. But I also would not be shocked if he retires.
His value goes beyond what he offers on the field
Ah teachers… “the real heroes”
it helps keep ticket prices down, which makes going to games more affordable
trickle down economics
Its a good thing he’s not looking for a job teaching or nursing. He’s not qualified and wouldn’t even get an interview.
@Michael Handsman: Seriously?
You’re incredibly naive if you think lower salaries would result in lower ticket and concession prices.
Teams will always charge as much as they can, and lowering player salaries would just increase their profits.
That’s why a salary cap wouldn’t make any difference.
Why do people like you believe the owners think they owe fans a handout?
one million to play a game is not insulting when there are teachers and nurses who make less than ten grand a month.
=========================
Perhaps they should’ve chosen to become baseball players than teachers and nurses.
And what about everyone else? How about social workers that have to help out families in distress? Should they also get paid millions?
JoeBrady
I am not saying that teachers and nurses should make as players. I let supply and demand handle that.
I am saying that owners and players should both embrace their good fortune with humble gratitude when so many others work hard for so much less. More on point, I am saying that no player should be “insulted” by a low-ball offer unless it is a team that they have been with for a really long time. If you are a free agent and another team gives you a low offer, you have the option to accept or reject it, there is no insult involved.
That’s great that you are sure about him, obviously the majority of teams do not agree. Was he injured or has he further regressed, only future stats will tell.
I wish him luck finding another gig, but it seemed like the classic Joey Votto swing was gone after the surgeries and he never really recovered.
“…:when healthy enough to take the mound”? Hey Nick, he’s not a pitcher you know!
Some guys hit off the mound, I guess.
That’s the equivalent of hitting from the woman’s T-box..
Glad I wasn’t the only one who read that.
It’s that mound of dirt over there by first base.
As a Padre fan Votto might have to much in common with Carpenter for me to get on board this transaction.
hitman, or Nelson Cruz….I agree!
Such a tremendous talent in his time way better than Carpenter ever was I agree with you I still would not pay him anywhere near what they gave Carpenter. This is a horrible thing to say, with their still paying Eric Hosmer.
Really? Comparing Carpenter to Votto? You must not have followed baseball long.
The league-wide OPS average in 2023 is .729.
Votto has played in a total of 11 playoff games in his remarkable career, and his teams have never won a playoff series. He has a post-season OPS 0.563 in 4 series.
Carpenter made it to the 2013 WS where the dirty birds lost. He has a post-season OPS of 0.678 in 14 series. Better than Votto but nothing to write home about.
Votto is the superior regular season player, Carpenter was the superior post-season player of the two players.
With some post-season success Votto could go from being a borderline Hall-of-Famer who will probably squeak in after a few years, instead to a shoo-in.
Halo’s should take him. Seriously.
Mariners should sign him. Since they aren’t taking 2024 seriously, might as well bring in some has-beens. Something like Gaylord Perry or Jose Vidro.
horrible take. even ty france is better than votto at this point
gvo
“horrible take. even ty france is better than votto at this point”
FGDC projection
France 116 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
Votto 95 wRC++, 0.0 WAR
yep. the owner gets involved and signs him to a 10 year 400M deal. lol.
rynor…..I think your comment should have “negative lol” meaning NO ONE EVER laughed out loud-or quietly to themselves-upon reading your comment.
But I’m less easily amused than some….
i hope Votto stays away from the Halo’s hacksaw medical staff. IMO, he is a perfect Tampa Ray. They could give him the Wade Boggs treatment and help him squeeze out 2 more years of decent production so his counting stats can reach HoF standards.
If the jays land Soler I would love to have Votto come in for 300 ABs vs RHP.
I dont know. I’d love to have seen a younger Votto in blue and white but this one? Soler OPSd 788 against righties this year, in line with his career average. Votto was 703 this year and 683 last year.
I can’t see giving him 300 AB, even in a platoon
Soler can play OF occasionally, and Votto can play 1b occasionally.
I agree, wouldn’t do a platoon but there will be enough ABs to go around.
Expect Soler to go to Snakes or Cubs in that order of likelihood. But that is because I still expect Blue Jays to outbid Cubs for Belli. Would be happy to have it go the other way.
Sign bellinger and DH’ing Springer does make some sense.
Depends on the contract tho
I am thinking 6 years $180 million with opt outs after two and four years. A risky overpay, but I won’t be disappointed if Cubs roll the dice.
As A Jay’s fan I want no part of Votto. He refused to come here when he was good now that he stinks he is willing to come f him.
Why so hostile?
Bc we need hitting not some guy who hasn’t hit in years we have enough of those and at his age there isn’t much chance he will do anything.
His rationale was pretty clear.
Just a guess but “He refused to come here when he was good”,
Jays were never giving him 10/225 in 2014 what are you talking about.
It’s been 10 years and that’s still 65 million more than the Jays have ever spent on a contract.
Plus, it was an EXTENSION! This is Votto’s first-ever trip into free agency.
Did Votto ever refuse a trade to Toronto at some point? That would be the only way for this particular complaint to make any sense.
Whyme what are you talking about? Joey Votto has never been a free agent until a couple of months ago. He never refused to go to Toronto.
votto would cost more than carpenter or grisham was going to no?
Why does that matter?
Because teams have budgets.
@foppert2: But it’s neither your money nor ammiel’s.
Don’t worry so much about the owners going broke and trying to save them money.
It matters because if SD is trying to cut payroll than they are unlikely to let a guy go just to replace him with some one more expensive. If you have paid any attention to SD this offseason then you would know they have been trying to reduce payroll given the new ownership and the uncertainty around the TV contract.
@Not a clever name: I don’t care about the Padres, but that sounds suspiciously like excuses for being cheap.
I don’t worry about that. It’s a stupid, low IQ assumption. I just know how budgets work. If you spend x on this, you can only spend y on that. It’s not a difficult concept. Nothing to do with caring about owners growing broke.
But without knowing the actual size of that budget, you’re judging with insufficient information and thus not intelligently.
As someone once said, it’s a stupid, low IQ assumption.
Ha ha. I think there’s enough information doing the rounds to suggest the Padres are operating in a budget conscious manner. So ditching a player and replacing him with something similar and more expensive might be a valid point of discussion when it comes to the Padres. But you know, whatever floats your boat.
But I don’t care. However, I sense BS in an attempt to disguise cheapness.
It’s amazing to me that many fans believe anything owners feed them through the media.
BS by who ?
A poster just asked a question and you gave him some “why does it matter” attitude. It’s obvious why it matters. Teams operate to a budget. That’s just a baseball business reality. Get over yourself.
Get over yourself and don’t believe everything you read about what owners say.
It’s also a baseball business reality that the big player salaries and payrolls fans love to biotch about as if it’s their own money wouldn’t be there if owners couldn’t afford it.
They’ve been crying poverty for more than a century, and people like you fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
BB
Quit being such a blowhard
You’re arguing two different things
Yes, the billionaires are mostly cheap asses who lie about how their baseball poverty
Front offices also have budgets that they have to work with.
Those two things are not incingruent.
So you’re more of a conspiracy theorist. Never believe anything you’re told. Even if it make rational sense.
Fact: the major source of revenue for a baseball team is broadcast revenue.
Fact: payroll is a percentage of revenue.
Conclusion: if broadcast revenue declines, payroll needs to decline if that percentage is to be maintained.
It’s not an excuse, its a reason. Its cause and effect.
The teams that have the means for those high salaries don’t complain. More than half the teams don’t have the means.
What’s true for LAD, and NY, is not true for CLE, CIN, KC and MIL.
Don’t worry so much about the owners going broke
===========================
That’s as far off-base as you can get, and it is pretty simple.
1-Teams have budgets. So let’s say, for example, the RS budget is $240M, meaning they have $50M left.
2-I don’t want them signing Clevinger for $50M. It has nothing to do with Henry going broke. It has everything to do with the RS spending as smartly as they can.
You are 100% wrong, and Foppert is 100% right. It doesn’t matter if you have a $100M budget or a $300M budget. Whatever you spend on “x” impacts how much you can spend on “y”.
Suppose the NYY and RS were perfectly even after 2023, and they both had $75M to spend. If the NYY signed Clevinger for $75M and the RS signed Snell, Monty and Hader for $25M each, the RS are better.
It’s obvious why it matters.
====================
It is so obvious that it doesn’t warrant discussion. Signing smart contracts is better than signing bad contracts. This started with ammiel’s post that Votto would cost more than Grisham, and BB’s response “Why does that matter?”
Grisham is a much better player, and there cannot be another person on the planet that wouldn’t prefer Grisham over Votto.at the same price.
“Those two things are not incingruent.”
===================
This is just one of those things that cannot be more obvious.
1-I think Henry under-spent last year and hasn’t kept pace with our competitors.
2-I also think Votto would be a horrible waste of limited resources.
It is so obvious that it doesn’t warrant discussion.
===================================
And yet here you are discussing it, lol.
Or so those teams’ owners would have you believe.
It’s not “Never believe anything you’re told.” That should be obvious to an intelligent person, and it’s mindless.
By the same token, a thinking person employs thought, reason, and healthy skepticism to discern truth and reason from BS.
The tired old saw about how teams in certain markets lose money and can’t afford to compete is self-serving crap rooted in their desire to control and exploit players by means of a salary cap. It’s all we heard from them before and during the 1994-95 strike, which was about a few cheap owners trying to bust the MLBPA and institute the salary cap.
Funny thing was that one of them was Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the large market Chicago White Sox.
Here’s the BS callout: If it’s so unprofitable to own and operate these franchises, why don’t they sell?
Why do franchise values keep escalating with people lined up to own them when they become available?
Nationals have been up for sale for a while now. The line is yet to form.
sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/12/04/wash…
If you actually read recent news instead of assuming you know, you would learn that the Lerners are not actively seeking offers but operating the team as if they don’t actually plan on selling, at least in the near future.
Once it is actually offered up for sale, potential buyers will make themselves known.
MLB franchises are like certain segments of the real estate market. There’s a finite supply and seldom any new ones available.
Poor destitute team owners.
It’s a new owner this year. Padres owner Peter Siedler died last November.
*SEIDLER. We heard.
But they’re still not destitute. Maybe cheap, but definitely not destitute.
It matters in that why Padres offer more to Votto than Grisham if Grisham is more valuable to them. This presupposes that Yankees took Grisham as a price for getting Soto, which is possible but not certain.
I mentioned that above. If the Padre had a choice between Votto and Grisham, they will choose Grisham, and the other 6,999,998 people on the planet will agree with me
@filihok: But they often are connected, and most of us don’t know when and if they aren’t.
BB
“But they often are connected, and most of us don’t know when and if they aren’t.”
It doesn’t matter if the budget is set because the owner is cheap or poor
The F/O has to work within the budget either way.
So, yes, fans can reasonably comment on how that budget is spent
Padres have lost players to FA and traded salaries away. They won’t be able to spend back to the level it was at, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t spend more than they did on Carpenter to replace Carpenter on the roster. Spending $5MM would likely be in their range.
@filihok: Reasonably comment = Baselessly speculate.
Poor destitute team owners.
========================
You will never get a single person to agree with you. Just because someone doesn’t think Votto is worth it does NOT mean they side with the owners, or that the owners are going broke.
They ARE, however, currently running afoul of MLB’s strictly enforced debt ratio limitations. They need to shed payroll to get in compliance. It is not their choice to make. It is a league mandate. The past few years of going “all-in” have finally reached their end.
What is the debt ratio number?
Hope you get to 400 Joey !
He would most likely have to play another 3 seasons to get there and that’s assuming he stays healthy and gets playing time.
I don’t see it happening.
He’s hoping he stays healthy and gets 2 years of 22.
Rangers could use him as a DH
If Votto plays outside Cincinnati this year he is most likely playing for a chance at post season play to go out on a winner. He is not chasing money. That being said he could be a fit on almost any team.
Roughly half the league is already basically admitting that they are not even dreaming of competing for a playoff spot. Like you said, he is not likely to want an opportunity to mentor young’ins on a go-nowhere team, so that leaves only legit contenders and pretend contenders. Not many of them have a need at 1B.
If he ends up on a team like the Nationals, they’re probably looking to flip him to a contender at the deadline.
Votto had a negative WAR the past two seasons. If you don’t have someone better on your farm, you are probably doing something wrong.
One thing to note is since the start of the 2022 season he has a .240 babip so he’s been rather unlucky as well, some positive babip regression and he would have had an above average wrc+ over those two seasons instead.
Angels bring him in. LH with decent power. Can DH and play 1st.
I hope he signs with a playoff caliber team. Angels would be an awful way to end his career.
Cincinnati would also be an awful way to end his career
One team career? Youth movement that he helped mentor? Nah- it would be great, in 1-2 more seasons.
Old and bitter I see..
“when healthy enough to take the mound?????”
Votto has never pitched in the majors, probably not since high school or even earlier.
Outside of 400hr (35 short) there are no other counting stat milestones. My guess is that he wants a shot at the playoffs. If he’s healthy hope he gets that shot.
This’ll be a cool story to follow and his creep towards 400….
At this point, 35 hr is a lot to ask.
And at this point, he needs 44.
Milwaukee could use a 1B
Even before the jays off season started i didnt want joey votto on the team. With the additions that have been made so far there is no possible way any gm with 1/3 of a brain would sign votto, another below average infield bat. Id like them to sign Edwin Encarnacion to a deal were he is a player for 1 day just to get him 1 final ab and make it to 1000 games as a jay. Votto could have made a nice story therea no denying that but his bat just doesnt fit espically with IKF there now. Salute Votto, were/are an amazing player and best Canadian to ever swing a stick. I know you want to go out showing you have a little left so hopefully you do get a chance with some team to get 200-300 ABs and Mentor some youngs Salute Votto
Dude.. coming from a guy who watches damn near every Reds game, he’s got more left in the tank. He wasn’t 100% at all last season, and it was apparent. Trust me, JoVo still has game, and the Reds really screwed their young team by not bringing him back!
For their budget, and because of the number of young players that need ABs, he just didn’t fit at that salary, or at the position he plays anymore. Whole different story if he was a pitcher.
Agree that Joey V has plenty left in the tank, I expect a bounce back year. Unfortunately, the Reds need to go with the players that can get them and keep them in contention for the next several years.
JV, you were a class act and a joy to watch as a Red. Thank you for all of the great memories. Would love to share a beer and a meal with you. Or at least have the opportunity to hear you announce games after your playing days are over.
I love Barry Larkin and hate to criticize, but Joey was a whole lot better in the TV booth when he was injured. Enjoyed his insights, which went beyond uttering the same phrases continously.
I hope he does do the games once he hangs it up, but I suspect he’d rather stay on the field as a coach or do PR talking to fans.
@titanic. People forget he had two major surgeries, the type that most people don’t recover from at 40 or don’t even try.
I wouldn’t bet against him having another nice year. A healthy 2021 wasn’t that long ago.
It was due to poor team building by the front office there wasn’t room for him on the roster, but a lot of “fans” don’t want to hear that, just as they don’t want to hear the Candelario signing is another Moose scenario waiting to happen.
He barely hit .200 the past 2 seasons… hang them up Joey.
At the start of the offseason, I thought he might have been with the Blue Jays or Pirates, but Pirates are looking slim at this point in the offseason.
What teams need a DH hitter and veteran leadership?
Thought he’d be closer to 3000 hits. Hall of Very Good. Should probably spend a year in his hometown and hang them up.
healthy enough to take the mound? interesting. I had no clue votto was a pitcher.
Toronto obviously makes the most sense with the-going-home-to-finish-his-career scenario. The Padres need LH offense but not sure Votto in that big ballpark is the answer. Signing with the Nats is basically hoping to produce enough to be traded to a contender in July
No it doesn’t. He didn’t want to waive his no trade years ago now that he is trash he can stay that way.
Signing with SD or TOR could result in that too. Both are in tough divisions.
Votto, you mean “Taylor Swifts 2nd boyfriend”
Lol this guy.
Hahaaa!
I’d pay him $10M just to sit on the bench and teach the young guys how to prepare themselves, carry themselves, and tell stories.
Fortunately, AA makes better deals than you.
Good luck Joey. One of the best ever.
Actually he could be of use for the Padres but more than likely they sign Profar
This is the Pittsburgh Pirates long awaited signing. I can see them platooning at 1B
They really should make an offer.
They need a (nother) real pro in that locker room.
I hear Joe has a wicked slider. That’s just water cooler talk though, because I’ve never seen him pitch..
Nice pun
Why does Brandon belt get no love? Captain we miss you
Man I kinda want Votto to retire a Red. It just feels right.
It’s definitely gonna be weird seeing him in another team’s jersey. Not sure there’s been another instance of this where someone started with and gave so many years to a single team only to have to retire elsewhere.
CaliCubbie
Say Hey Kid, Hammerin’ Hank and the Big Hurt.
Love to see Nats get him. Even at 41 he better than most of what they have.
Based on the average of his past 6 years, he’ll probably have the following:
BA: 0.238
Hits: 83
BB: 71
HRs: 19
OBP: 0.316
Serviceable but not someone who’s going to contribute to a winning team. Really depends on how his shoulder is. I’ll echo the voices of others on here saying it might be beneficial to teams to have him sitting on the bench playing in a full-time role but also there to talk to the young kids and mentor them.
Re OY
“Based on the average of his past 6 years, he’ll probably have the following:
BA: 0.238
Hits: 83
BB: 71
HRs: 19
OBP: 0.316”
FGDC have him at
.218 avg
.319 OBP
88 hits
16 HR
54 BB
I’ll take their projection as more likely than yours (even though both are similar and yours is well within the range of the FG projection)
If you need someone to bat .200 with far below average defense, then Votto is your man. Sign him up!
Re chump
User name checks out
I am guessing you will see voto get a deal ea good amount of incentives which with his makes sense for him and his team.
He could be a decent fit for the Orioles
If he is completely healthy
They would have to move stuff around but it could be done
Cubs
As a Mets fan, I favor giving youngsters like Baty and Vientos plenty of playing time to see if they are keepers. But I’m also a sucker for giving older veterans a last hurrah. Ergo, I would be pleased if Stearns and company give Votto a one-year contract for maybe $3 million. Before you tell me I’m crazy, remember the value Jim Edmonds gave to Milwaukee, Chicago and Cincinnati at the end of his career.
He’s 40 and has had 2 garbage seasons in a row. Just retire.
I wouldn’t mind a late career surge from him with the Twins. keep this Reds-Twins pipeline going
Just sign with Toronto already… everybody knows that’s where he’ll end up!
Everybody knows.
youtube.com/watch?v=xu8u9ZbCJgQ
Candelario is such a better fir for the Reds than picking up Votto’s option. Wish Joey the best- somewhere else.
With switch-hitters EDLC (#3) and Candelario (#5) in the middle of the Reds everyday lineup, there will be substantially less times when Bell will deem it necessary to pinch hit in the 5th-7th innings. This alone should help the overall offensive performance of the team.
He should sign with the Cubs. Dude could be 87 years old and in an iron lung and he’d still mash at Wrigley.
Frank the tank
In 2022, here are Votto’s stats against the Cubs:
Avg .216
OBP .356
Slug. 486
OPS .842
I like it. Joey could replace Snellzilla in the booth
“potential” hall of famer? over 8 seasons and 5000 at-bats votto had an ops+ of 163. he’s a no-brainer first-ballot vote
I think Votto finishing up in Toronto would be a nice story, but hey not everything is nice in baseball. Either way, I think a team, especially a young one, would be wise to grab him for his veteran presence.
Don’t embarrass yourself, Joey. Retire
Every team gets an additional roster spot for a veteran player/coach who is over the age of 37. Through some pinch hit ABs or spot starts their way ocassionally to pad career stats or just do a farewell tour without blocking a prospect or a regular.
With 26 man rosters, there are already spots available for part time players. Putting a young player in those positions means they are not viewed as potential regulars. If they were they would be in the minors playing everyday. Orioles won’t be calling up Holiday to ride the pine as utility. He will be starting. The utility positions are perfect for aging players who are no longer what they once were. No need to add a spot.
I swear, i find a new person to mute on this site everyday.
Please if/when Joey Votto signs let it be as far away from the Reds and in the American league i.e. Blue Jays. I am a huge fan of his and it would be painful to watch him play against the Reds.
Joey is just not getting the walks. Used to be that he would come to the plate you almost concede that he is getting on somehow. Just don’t give him anything to hit to limit it to a single base and hope you fool him. the past couple seasons show that something is up. to me it seems like something other than just getting older but I didn’t see him play everyday like Reds fans would.
Still, someone who needs a part time first base man should defiantly take a look. Joey strikes me as a guy who has the will and ability to turn it around and be above average overall.
But you know, just like opinion man.
As Votto has indicated he can play for anyone, There are NO BAD 1Yr CONTRACTS.
I don’t know the Reds position other than maybe they’re watching to see how the market values him??? Obviously his option was not going to be picked up.
I’d LOVE for him to come to San Francisco, time and again that staff has shown they know how to game plan workload for older players managing injury, Posey was the perfect example.. This is the sort of upside talent even if it’s for 450 AB’s I think they should gamble on. I’ve caveat this by saying they should not make this move if they are still in on Bellinger which they SHOULD be. Votto is a great plan B.
I don’t think Posey is the best example here of managing a players workload. He missed all of age 33 season and retired before the age of 35. Not saying it’s by any means the Giants fault, however the ultimate outcome for Posey by no means should b viewed as a success of theirs.
I think you looked at the back of the baseball card with no context. He opt’d out of the 2020 Covid season (age 33) for family reasons.
To be clear my comment was a veteran coming back from injury which Posey was. He was a CATCHER his whole career without the benefit of the DH in the NL suffered two major injuries, one on a collision, the 2nd, a wear & tear on his hip. He had an OPS+ 140 in 2021, his last year, with down ballot MVP votes. Like many NFL players in this ERA, choose to walk away early
Don’t like Posey, talk to Carlos Rodon, don’t you think the NYY would like the SFG version of Rodon?
Like Joey said he fits everywhere, someone I think is going to get a really talented player and for a younger team a great pro