Joey Votto (40), whose guaranteed contract with the Cincinnati Reds is over, is not ready to say goodbye yet.
Local media such as ‘ESPN’ reported on the 7th (Korean time) that Votto appeared on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and expressed his intention to extend his active duty.
Votto said, “I want to play again. He expressed his desire to continue his active career, saying, “I want to play at least one more year.”
Votto’s 10-year, $225 million contract expired at the end of this season. A team option remains for the 2024 season. The team option is worth $20 million, and the buyout is $7 million.
As of now, it seems highly likely that the Cincinnati team will pay a buyout and part ways with him.
As if he had anticipated this, Votto received a standing ovation from the crowd at the last home game of the season held on September 25.
The ending was disappointing. In the final game of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals on the 2nd, he was kicked out of the dugout while protesting against the referee’s decision.
Votto later tweeted: “Yelling at the referee from the bench was something you shouldn’t have done. The referee was completely justified in sending me off. “I’m really sorry to the fans who wanted to see me play today,” he wrote.레모나토토
Votto, who was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2002 draft, debuted in the big leagues in 2007 and played for the Cincinnati team for 17 years.
He had a batting average of 0.294, an on-base percentage of 0.409, a slugging percentage of 0.511, 356 home runs, 1,144 RBI, and 2,135 hits in 2,056 games.
He enjoyed the honor of winning the National League MVP award in 2010, as well as being an All-Star six times and winning a Gold Glove Award once.
In the 2023 season, he only played in 65 games due to injury and recorded a batting average of 0.202, an on-base percentage of 0.314, a slugging percentage of 0.433, 14 home runs, and 38 RBIs.