Hey Cincinnati! Leave Joey Votto Alone

Joey Votto is to Cincinnati what Albert Pujols is to St. Louis.  The Cincinnati Reds are trying to negotiate a long-term deal with Votto but so far, nothing has been signed.  They have already signed outfielder Jay Bruce to a long-term deal and Colorado’s Carlos González also signed a seven-year, $80 million deal; so why hasn’t Joey Votto signed? 

After the González signing, GM Walt Jocketty said, “It’s hard to comment without knowing the details, I think each deal is separate and different.  I’m sure it will affect it some down the line.”  Jocketty went on to say, “But we haven’t made a lot of progress the last couple of weeks, a lot of agents kind of shut it down over the holidays.”  Not exactly what you want to hear. 

Reds fans would have loved to hear something like “We are close to a deal and are working very hard,” or “Joey has expressed an interest to stay in Cincinnati and we are working diligently to keep him here.”  But nothing like this has been said. 

The two sides appear far off on a long-term deal.  Why is this?  A glimpse into Joey Votto’s psyche may help us understand.  It is well known that Joey Votto is a very private, low-key person.  In 2008, he suffered an emotional breakdown based on psychological factors of grieving his late father.  Votto has improved and has become more public since 2008 but he still is the same person with the same emotional needs.  One of those needs seems to be privacy or not feeling like he is recognized everywhere he goes. 

In a story by David Pollard of the Winnipeg Sun titled “Votto Wins Inaugral QMI Agency Male Athlete of the Year,” Pollard gives us a unique insight into the possible reason Joey Votto has yet to sign a long-term extension with Cincinnati.  He writes:

“Votto has gotten more exposure north of the border over the last two months than he has in the eight years since the Reds made him a second-round draft pick. In addition to winning the MVP, he was the recipient of the N.L. Hank Aaron Award as the league's best hitter; won the Tip O'Neill Award handed out annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame; and copped the Lou Marsh Award as Canada's athlete of the year, beating out a handful of Olympians.”

He goes on to write, “For a private -- and genuinely humble, rare in many professional athletes at the height of fame -- guy like Votto, the increased attention that goes along with reaching a new level of stardom might become too much to take.”

Quoting Votto himself, "'In Cincinnati, I can't imagine being more recognized,’ Votto explained. ‘I walk around everywhere and people recognize me and that's a tremendous complement. But if I can handle Cincinnati, I think I can handle the other cities. I live in Florida and I live around senior citizens and no one gives a s*** who I am. And then I go to Toronto and everybody cares about the Leafs and the Raptors, there's nobody would know who I am. If they do, I know the Canadian fans would be polite and respect my space. There's some people that really want to be recognized and be known and want the attention. I'm not one of those guys [bold added].’" 

Is this the underlying reason why Joey Votto has not signed a long-term deal yet?  One thing for certain, he is not happy with all the attention.  Cincinnatians would be wise to begin giving Votto his personal space.  Once he feels comfortable, maybe he will sign long term.  Of course, multi-millions of dollars could also help.

On Sunday January 16, Votto signed a three year $38 million deal.  It was an odd contract because the Reds already control him for three years.  It is almost as if Votto is looking to leave after three years.  Reds better keep Yonder Alonso after all.