After having his option declined by the Cincinnati Reds, Joey Votto is now a free agent for the first time in his career. As evidenced by a recent post on social media, he clearly wants to play in 2024, and there seems to be one very logical landing spot.
After having his $20 million club option declined by the Cincinnati Reds, legendary first baseman Joey Votto is now a free agent for the first time in his career.
While some players like the feeling of free agency, Votto clearly isn’t enjoying the experience – as evidenced by a post he put out on “X” on Thursday.
Being a free agent is like that scene from Gravity where Sandra Bullock detaches from the Explorer. You’re all alone, no one is answering your calls, and you don’t know if you’ll get back to base. Your only hope is George Clooney saving you.
Now, I’ve never seen the movie, but that seems like two things: 1) A great analogy that’s incredibly deep and incredibly smart, and 2) A clear indication that Votto wants to play in 2024 but hasn’t had any real bites yet.
While the waiting is clearly tough for the possible Hall of Famer, there’s still 1.5 months until spring training, so there is time for Votto to find a new baseball home.
As we wrote recently, we want to see Votto end up with the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s an Ontario, Canada native, who would get a chance to play in front of his home country, and the Jays have a clear need for a left-handed designated hitter. It makes sense on multiple fronts.
A lifetime .294 hitter, Votto is one of the more accomplished players of the last 20 years. He’s got a .409 on-base percentage lifetime and has hit 356 career home runs. The slugger also owns a pristine resume with six All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove and an MVP award.
He’s led the league in on-base percentage in seven separate seasons. He spent 17 years with the Reds.
- He hit .202 last season as he battled injury. Unfortunately, this led him to accumulate just 208 at-bybats.
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