Joey Votto reflects on Cincinnati tenure in emotional farewell to Reds fans: "The best stretch of my entire life"

Joey Votto will not show up in a Reds jersey in 2024. Cincinnati management announced that they wouldn't be activating Votto's club or player options and that the franchise cannot accommodate his playing time with the emergence of skillful rookies in their far system.

"After 17 seasons and over 2,000 games with the Reds, Cincinnati announced it is not picking up Joey Votto's 2024 club option. The team said they 'cannot commit to the playing time Joey deserves' next year, ending his legendary tenure with the organization," read an ESPN post.

Votto shared a long, heartfelt video expressing his gratitude and thanking the Cincinnati Reds community for showering him with love and praise for 17 years. Votto also mentioned how intimidating it was to move to Cincinnati from Tronoto, but the help and warmth he found in the community aided his career growth with the franchise.

"If this is the last time I'll play as a Cincinnati Red, I want to speak out loud my gratitude. I want to thank the community. I want to thank Cincinnati for being so welcoming. I eventually made it to Cincinnati, and that was an intimidating experience, but it blossomed into the best stretch of my life [00:01:08]" - Joey Votto

After the Reds declined to take up his $20 million club option, Votto, 40, was given a $7 million buyout and became a free agent for the first time in his major league career.

While Votto's potential comeback was not entirely ruled out, Cincinnati has several younger players, particularly infielders, who require playing time. As such, President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall made it apparent that a return was doubtful due to the emergence of skillful rookies.

Joey Votto is a free agent seeking new haven in the Major Leagues

The Reds advanced to the postseason four times in 2010, '12, '13 and '20 when Votto was a player for Cincinnati. However, they never made it past the first round of the playoffs. Votto would have liked to have been able to attend a World Series with the team.

"Joey Votto hit 25 HRs in the 156 games he played the last two years, but the BA dipped to .200. At 40, he could make a solid PH and part-time DH but not healthy enough for regular playing time" - MarkHolder27

Votto's prospects of finding a vacant spot on an MLB roster on the open market may be more challenging due to injuries and irregular output. With offseason training that doesn't require shoulder therapy, he would like to play at least one more season.