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 Saturday 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 mound 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.
