Joey Votto has finally closed the books on an incredible career in baseball. Over nearly two decades, there was only one team he had ever known, played for, and cheered for—the Cincinnati Reds. The 40-year-old, in a rather emotional eight-second video, said, “That’s it. I’m done. I am officially retired from baseball” while standing in the parking lot outside Buffalo’s Sahlen Field.

Votto spent seventeen years of his life with the Reds, playing baseball, so leaving was difficult. He even tried taking on a different career path after becoming a free agent, but as they say, plans don’t always work out. Now he is finally retiring from the sport he loves so much! But he didn’t bid goodbye simply with the post; he made a trip from Buffalo to Toronto and headed directly to the clubhouse to meet his former teammates. He hugged, smiled, and exchanged words with the team he spent almost his entire youth with. While his journey with the Reds and with baseball saw many highs, it wasn’t without lows!

Joey Votto and his last seasons before announcing retirement!

Joey Votto was a force to be reckoned with for the Cincinnati Reds. However, his last seasons with the team were not smooth sailing. From 2022 to 2023, he struggled at the plate and could only hit 25 homers in over 156 games. To make matters worse, there was his shoulder injury—a torn rotator cuff and biceps. He went under the knife for it, and this sidelined him for a successful 10 months! Then his epic 10-year, $225 million contract extension wrapped up last season, and even though he has been long associated with the team, the Reds opted not to renew his contract, making Votto a free agent—the first of his career!

But the drama is only just starting because he tried to make a big comeback again with the Blue Jays. He signed a minor league deal in the spring for the local team, but again, an ankle injury screwed up his plans. When the Blue Jays took on the Reds, the team he played for for an incredible 17 seasons, he was still waiting for a call from Triple-A Buffalo that never came. It seems that the injuries and the bumps along the way might have hurt Joey Votto. In the post announcing his retirement, he said, “Toronto + Canada, I wanted to play in front of you. Sigh, I tried with all my heart to play for my people. I’m just not good anymore. Thank you for all the support during my attempt.”

However, struggles are part and parcel of any person’s life—one just has to sail across them. As far as fans are concerned, they love Joey Votto. His post had fan comments like, “Congratulations on an amazing career. You’re a class act & a tremendous ball player” and “One of the best to ever do it!!! Congrats on an epic career buddy!! Enjoy the next chapter” is a testament to his legacy. As for the team, well, the Reds manager had plenty to say!

Votto’s career over the last 17 years with the Reds!

Joey Votto was drafted by the Reds as the 44th pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. But he finally made it to the major leagues in 2007. And since then, that’s the only team he played for! Over nearly two decades of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, he played a total of 2,056 games, hitting an incredible .294 with 356 home runs, 1,144 RBIs, and a .920 OPS.

Then in 2010, he was named National League MVP, and he went on to help his team clench two NL Central titles. He even won the Gold Glove Award in 2011. So definitely a decorated career over 17 years! In his retirement post, Votto expressed his deep love for the team in his retirement IG post, saying, “I’ve only played for you. I love you.” He also went ahead to thank his family, fans, teammates, and even the haters who booed him—you bet they made his drive to do better even more! Overall, he seems more than satisfied with his journey and how he played and said, “I was myself in this sport. I played with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind.”

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell also had plenty to say about Votto’s team. “I can’t express how happy I am for the career that Joey had as a player, the impact he had on so many people in the game. I think he’ll look back and be very proud of that. Just an incredible career, obviously. I was hoping that maybe we’d see him here [with the Blue Jays]. I think I’m even more happy that he gets to sit back and enjoy everything that he’s accomplished and the impact on the game of baseball, teammates, people throughout our organization — and I’m sure here as well.”

What do you like about the Reds player? Let us know in the comments.