The Cincinnati Reds are 80-77, but given the fact they are 2.5 games behind the last Wild Card spot in the National League with just a handful of games left to play, they are highly unlikely to play in the postseason at this point.
They played what could be their last home game on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It could have been, in addition, Joey Votto’s last game at Great American Ball Park.
Votto, a Reds legend, is 39 and it is not known at this point if he will keep playing beyond 2023.
The Reds have a $20 million club option for 2024, one that they are unlikely to exercise.
However, Votto will receive a $7 million buyout if the team declines the option.
Fans gave the accomplished first baseman a proper sendoff on Sunday: he got a standing ovation before his first at-bat.
Additionally, when he had a base hit, he also received a curtain call.
Curtain call for Joey Votto as he exits what could be his last game as a Red in Cincinnati pic.twitter.com/XTXb2snp3E
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 24, 2023
Fans in Cincinnati love Votto, and he loves them back.
It’s a relationship that could be coming to an end in the next few days.
Since making his MLB debut in 2007, Votto has been everything Reds fans wanted in a middle-of-the-order producer and more.
He even won an MVP award in 2010, he has 356 career home runs, he is hitting .295/.409/.511 with a .921 OPS, and he has six All-Star berths and a Gold Glove award (2011).
He has also represented the Reds organization and the city of Cincinnati proudly at all times.
If he decides to call it quits, he would have completed an amazing career.
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