Union boss questions former Reds star’s absence: ‘Game better with Joey Votto in it.
GOODYEAR, Arizona — Tony Clark, the head of the major league players’ union, said he’s waiting until the rest of a strange-looking free agent market plays out to start to come to any conclusions about what factors are behind so many good players still being unsigned two weeks into spring training.
It’s a departure from recent offseasons that has certainly piqued the interest of the union — from the unsigned players at the high end of the market (Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Gold Glove, slugging third baseman Matt Chapman) to the minor-league/spring invite deals that seem to be drying up compared to recent years.
Somewhere in between those ends of this stagnant market, a former MVP with 356 home runs, a .409 on-base percentage and a name forever etched among Cincinnati Reds legends has fallen through the cracks.
Joey Votto’s 40. But he’s healthy and he’s still Joey Votto.
“I haven’t had a conversation with Joey or his agent, so I’m not going to speculate on why he is or isn’t signed at this point,” Clark said, “but I agree that the game is always better with a Joey Votto in it.”
Votto has been loosely linked to some teams this winter, including the Los Angeles Angels, and has posted social media content showing that he’s staying in good baseball shape over the winter — along with one post in recent days in which he stares at the camera while he sits in his car going through a car wash and eventually deadpans that “This isn’t spring training.”
He wants to play. And it seems like it might be increasingly unlikely to find a deal with every day that passes at this point.
“I don’t know whether it gets harder or not. Because he’s Joey Votto,” Clark said, suggesting the six-time All-Star is at least getting undervalued in the marketplace.
Perhaps underscoring that point, more Reds jerseys bearing Votto’s name were worn by fans during the first two spring games at Goodyear Ballpark than any other Reds player, by far.
“For teams that are interested in being the last team standing, having a veteran or veteran presences that can still play and contribute to a win in ways that may or may not show up on the back of a bubble gum card, there’s a value prop there,” said Clark, who was an All-Star during a 15-year playing career that also included two postseasons.
“Some teams realize it or recognize it. Maybe some don’t.”
