'Sad day for Reds fans': Reactions to Cincinnati declining Joey Votto's club option
The Cincinnati Reds fans who gave long-time first baseman Joey Votto a lengthy standing ovation before his first at-bat during the team's final game of the season at Great American Ball Park, in addition to a curtain call after he singled in his final home plate appearance of the season, knew the Reds might decline the six-time All-Star's 2024 club option.
And Votto acknowledged the possibility when he said the fans' gestures almost made him cry, calling them "overwhelming" and an "humbling experience."
"I could have soaked that in forever. It was an honor of all honors. I'm humbled," Votto said after that game. "It ended up going on a little bit longer than I'm used to, and that was great. Thank you. Again, I'm speechless."
On Saturday, many shared their thoughts via social media about the possible end of the Votto era as a player in Cincinnati:
Krall on if Votto could return as FA this winter:
"We’re not closing the door on anything. I just think with the players we have on our roster right now, there’s no playing time. We’ve got to figure out how to get playing time for some of these players to keep moving forward."— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubMLB) November 4, 2023
When we get a player that becomes the kind of icon that Votto is it can be hard to swallow the fact that seasons are changing & their time in the game as a player is nearing its end. I hate to think that 17 years of his level of service gets wrapped up in a tweet but you’ll… https://t.co/1Qfdl26rDu
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) November 4, 2023
Dearest Mother —
I write today with a heavy heart. I was informed I will no longer be with the Redleg Brigade come the 2024 Campaign. The Queen City was home for 17 years, the future is now unknown. What a journey it was. One last time, I still bang.
Goodbye Cincinnati.
— Joseph— Capt. Joseph Daniel Votto (@CaptJosephVotto) November 4, 2023
I get it from a baseball sense, but Joey Votto deserved a better sendoff than how it played out. He’s a one of one. Sad day for Reds fans is an understatement. https://t.co/4bFUXwX1Fo
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) November 4, 2023
Joey Votto's career with the Reds:
▫️ 17 seasons
▫️ 6x All-Star
▫️ 2010 NL MVP
▫️ 2011 Gold Glove
▫️ 2010 NL Hank Aaron Award
▫️ .294 BA, 2,135 H, 356 HR, 1144 RBI pic.twitter.com/dM53po9UWG— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 4, 2023
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 that they "cannot commit to the playing time Joey deserves" next year, ending his legendary tenure with the organization. pic.twitter.com/Xe0txq6L1h— ESPN (@espn) November 4, 2023
“There's an end to every story,” Joey Votto said. “There's an end to every professional career, and if this is my time with the Cincinnati Reds organization, I have had the best time in my life.”
Joey Votto reflects on being a Red for 21 years.https://t.co/aB6oxtVnfq— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) November 4, 2023
Joey Votto with the Reds
2056 games
7252 at-bats
2135 hits
1365 walks
356 home runs
1144 RBI
.294 batting average
.920 OPS
144 OPS+— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) November 4, 2023
If Votto doesn’t want to play for another team, he will immediately become the best baseball media star available.
Current, funny, self-deprecating, popular.
I’ll check with Jimmy and Jake, but sounds ideal for @JomboyMedia 😃 https://t.co/9vYNyvijnL— Chris Rose (@ChrisRose) November 4, 2023
Active MLB players with a career OBP of .400+:
Juan Soto, .421, Mike Trout, .412, Joey Votto, .409 pic.twitter.com/RLaEC0WmlT— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 4, 2023
Soak in the Joey Votto love from Triston Casas … https://t.co/cMea3p1rhX pic.twitter.com/pkNV2J7TKY
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) November 5, 2023
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reactions to Cincinnati Reds declining Joey Votto's 2024 club option
